How the pressure to be beautiful affects women's mental health

According to a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) , physical appearance is the leading cause of bullying worldwide, followed by racism.

This study shows that women , especially at and from an early age, are more likely to suffer harassment due to their appearance, unlike men.

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An example, cited by the magazine 'Cosmopolitan', is that of the Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez , wife of the Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo , who was heavily criticized on her social networks due to her physical figure after her last birth, which, of course, has aroused voices in her defense.

This obvious pressure that women have had on their physical appearance brings up the concept of aesthetic violence .

What is it? According to María de Jesús López Alcaide, a doctoral candidate in sociology at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) , it is an imposition of arbitrary beauty standards that affects women in various ways and can extend throughout their lives.

She explains that this can be overwhelming, as the pressure to conform to hegemonic beauty standards can result in something unrealistic and rarely achievable , adding that once these narratives are established, so-called propagating agents (media, companies or men themselves) appear that spread this type of information.

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" As women, we are told that we are not worthy enough if we don't fit in with certain practices, such as being thin or feminine. Similarly, if we wear little makeup, if we don't shave our legs, or if we don't shave, we are criticized. We perform a series of rituals that we internalize in such a way that we believe that, if we fulfill them, they will help us position ourselves in the world and increase our self-esteem, but that is not the case ," the professor told the magazine 'Unam Global'.

López added that aesthetic violence not only triggers insecurities in women generally (whether physical, sexual or intellectual), but can also motivate hatred .

" For example, the model of woman that has been sold to us as ideal has two aspects: one with large breasts and hips, a small waist, and a big buttocks; and the other being thin (without curves and without any proportion). Therefore, women who do not have these characteristics tend to create suspicion, hatred, or antipathy towards those who do, and they also develop a feeling of failure. This situation is something that should not happen because we attack each other among women and, finally, the models of woman that I previously mentioned have been constructed from a masculine vision ," she pointed out.

Aesthetics and mental health

Clinical psychologist Daniela Granados explained to the newspaper 'El Heraldo' that the incessant desire to modify one's body can end up blurring women's identity and weakening their emotional health.

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" This can lead to disorders such as body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression, or even emotional dependence on external recognition. This ultimately generates a cycle of dissatisfaction and a need for new procedures, and it also reinforces the idea in the person that personal value depends solely on appearance, leaving very little room for recognizing other dimensions of being, such as creativity, intelligence, and all those skills and emotional resources ," he explained.

And he added: " So the problem isn't that desire to take care of oneself, to look better, but rather the intention or motive that drives that desire. When that stems from self-demand or external pressure, this will generate difficulties on an emotional level ."

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