Unrealistic Beauty Standards: A Losing Game
Due to unrealistic beauty standards and changing trends, achieving a body considered “ideal” by society is impossible for most people. For example, the obsession with Ozempic highlights how unattainable beauty standards make it impossible to succeed in the beauty game.
The Cost of Chasing Unrealistic Beauty Standards
Have you spent years trying to attain societal beauty standards but still not feeling like you could achieve them? If so, you are certainly not the only one. Studies show that an estimated 90 percent of people do not meet the beauty ideals of their time period. Despite this, in 2019, Americans spent over $300 billion dollars trying to achieve that nearly impossible goal. Attempting to fit society’s standards for beauty is a losing game. Not only is it incredibly difficult to meet beauty standards, but beauty trends also change so frequently that you will never achieve them for long. Interestingly, most people alive today would have matched the beauty ideal of at least one historical period at some point.
Widely different body shapes have been considered beautiful, as well as different skin colors and haircuts throughout American history. In the United States, beauty standards have historically aligned with White features, yet these ideals vary significantly across different cultures and countries.
How Social Media Fuels Unrealistic Beauty Standards
Beauty standards are communicated and spread through social media and ads by clothing and cosmetic companies aiming to sell their products. In reality, these companies profit by creating unrealistic beauty standards, making it seem achievable only if you purchase their products. Therefore, they profit from young women’s and men’s insecurities, so it is crucial to remember their motives when consuming advertisements.
Why Beauty Standards Make Lasting Satisfaction Impossible
The recent rise of the weight loss drug Ozempic is an interesting example of how impossible it is to win the game of beauty. For instance, Ozempic alone has a long list of potential health side effects, including vision changes, kidney problems, gallbladder disease, an increased risk of thyroid cancer, and pancreatitis. While Ozempic has been effective in causing weight loss, it has also resulted in a phenomenon known as “Ozempic face,” in which Ozempic can cause the face to age rapidly due to looser skin and hollow cheeks. Consequently, many people on social media have quickly criticized celebrities for their “Ozempic faces.”
To combat “Ozempic face,” some doctors recommend filler in the face to add back volume. However, in recent years, many people online have been quick to point out and criticize the phenomenon called “pillow face,” which is the puffy-looking face that can result from using facial fillers.

Ultimately, you just can’t win.
Additionally, not only will you inevitably lose the game of beauty, but these procedures cost thousands and thousands of dollars. A similar issue occurred with lip filler. When people inject their lips with filler to make them appear larger, this often results in “duck lips,” which has been made fun of online at great length.
Finding Freedom Outside the Beauty Game
Given that it is almost impossible to keep up with current beauty standards, their unrealistic and constantly changing nature makes them unachievable. Body acceptance, however, is a far more achievable goal. Furthermore, although it takes time and hard work, reaching a place where you might not love your body is possible. Letting go of the constant battle to change it can help relieve unrealistic beauty standards. Ultimately, the only way to win the game of beauty is to stop playing altogether.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, we offer a variety of programs and services targeted to help clients overcome disordered eating and develop a healthy relationship with food and their body. In addition to our day and evening programs, we offer nutrition counseling and meal support services with a licensed dietitian to assist those seeking help for food concerns. Click here to speak with our admissions team.
Reference
Onque , Renee. “Upholding ‘harmful Beauty Ideals’ Cost Americans over $300 Billion in 2019.” CNBC, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2022, www.cnbc.com/2022/10/04/harmful-beauty-ideals-cost-americans-over-300-billion-in-2019.html#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20report%2C%2016,dissatisfaction%20and%20appearance%2Dbased%20discrimination.
This post was written by BALANCE Social Work Intern, Sydney Heath (she/her).
Sydney is a therapy intern at BALANCE and a social work master’s student at Columbia University. She is an alumna of Claremont McKenna College, where she studied international relations and Human Rights. Sydney has long been passionate about fighting diet culture and helping people develop healthier relationships with food and their bodies. Sydney enjoys fostering kittens, reading, and cooking in her free time.
