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Women in the Song Dynasty in China would bind their feet to fit into smaller shoes, as smaller feet were considered more attractive. This is an example of women harming themselves to fit beauty standards. The podcast discusses how beauty standards have changed over the years and how they affect women's confidence, self-image, and physical well-being. Social media plays a role in perpetuating these standards, with celebrities editing their photos and Victoria's Secret models taking drastic measures to achieve a certain look. Would you believe that centuries ago, women would bind their feet using fabric to constrict and shape-shift the size of their feet in order to fit in a smaller, more petite shoe? This was a common practice for women and young girls during the Song Dynasty in China. Smaller feet were considered to be more attractive and was a beauty standard at the time. Starting from a young age, girls would break and bind their feet in a painful and lengthy process in hopes of attracting a suitor. There are many theories as to how this practice came to be. Some believe that it was foot-binding that, when, hmm, got, there are many theories as to how this practice came to be. Some believe that foot-binding began when women tried to imitate the emperor's favorite concubine who had abnormally small feet. Thus, by binding their feet, women were able to recreate this look. This is one of many examples of women harming themselves both physically and mentally. This is one of many examples of women harming themselves both physically and mentally in order to fit into a beauty standard. Hello, my name is Keira Seago, and welcome to my podcast. Today, we will be discussing how the beauty standards for women's bodies have changed over the decades, where they stem from, and how these harmful beliefs have affected women with their relationship with their confidence, self-image, and overall physical well-being. I think talking about body image and beauty standards can be an uncomfortable conversation to have, because it is something that the majority of people have had negative experiences with at least once in their lives. I'm not sure if there was a singular moment that I can pinpoint when I was first aware of this phenomenon. However, I know that I struggled with my own body image throughout high school. A lot of my insecurities stemmed from aspects of myself not fitting a certain beauty standard that I either saw in my classmates or online. I remember sitting in class and not being able to focus on what the teacher was saying because I was too distracted by how I looked. I noticed a lot of girls my age also struggle with this battle in the way that they talk about themselves and how they act. Beauty standards are toxic and something that a lot of women try to uphold themselves. It can affect both a person's mental and physical health, and it's only getting worse. In our next segment, we will discuss how these trends have changed over the years and see if there are any trends or patterns we can attack. In our next segment, we will discuss how these trends have changed over the years and see if there are any trends or patterns we can attack. In our next segment, we will discuss how these trends have changed over the years and see In our next segment, we will discuss how these trends have changed over the years and see if there are any trends or patterns we can detect. To gain a better understanding, I am here with my friend Regan to hear about her experience growing up and how she navigated these trends. Hello, Regan. Please tell us a little bit about how you... Hello, Regan. Hello, Regan. Please tell us a little bit about... Hello, Regan. Please tell us a little bit about how you observed the ideal beauty growing up and how this impacted your perception of beauty. Hello, Kira. Growing up, I always had blonde hair and I was always told to never dye my hair because blonde was the ideal hair color. Looking at older women, they were always really skinny and... Sorry. Say it again. Do it again. Growing up, I always had blonde hair. Wait. What? Growing up, I had blonde hair and I was always told to never dye it because blonde was the ideal hair color. Growing up with an older sister and a mom... And a mom. Of course. Sorry. It's a mom. Oh, right. Just keep going. Okay. I'm going to cut this. Growing up with an older sister and a mom that was really... Trying. What's the word? Was really trying. The short one, maybe? Oh, wait. Sorry. Growing up, I had blonde hair and I was always told never to dye my hair because blonde was the ideal hair color. Having an older sister and a mom that was very insecure, it was very hard for me to grow up in that environment. My mom always told me, you had to be skinny, you had to keep your blonde hair, you have to do this, you have to do that. So growing up in that household environment was very difficult, specifically for my own body image and having my mom tell me that, she didn't like herself. It was very hard for me to see that. And that also impacted my perception of beauty because growing up when my mom was saying that she thought she was ugly, I didn't know how to think about myself because seeing the way she talked about herself, it made me talk about myself just as negatively. The first time I can really remember being aware of a beauty standard was definitely in middle school. Growing up, I always had some sort of understanding that I had to look a certain way, but it never really occurred to me until I was in middle school in that environment. And I just remember wearing certain clothes and thinking that I looked ugly and I was too fat to wear those clothes because that's the things that my mom would tell me. So it was very hard to grow up in middle school being aware of that beauty standard because yeah, so middle school is definitely when I learned about it. The advice I would give to my younger self would be to only listen or look at how you love yourself and don't try to be beautiful for other people. Try to be beautiful for yourself. So don't take other's advice on how to better yourself. Better yourself in the way that makes you feel the best. Thank you, Regan. That was very insightful. And now on to our next segment. Thank you, Regan, for telling us your story. We really appreciate you. We have seen throughout the years the drastic changes that women have put their bodies through in order to fit these ever-changing beauty standards. For instance, just looking at the different body trends in the U.S. for the last couple of decades, you will start to see a pattern. It started in the early 1900s when a curvier figure was preferred. To achieve this look, women were often constricting corsets. We have seen throughout the years the drastic changes that women have had to put their bodies through in order to fit these ever-changing beauty standards. For instance, just looking at the different trendy bodies. We have seen throughout the years the drastic changes that women have had to put their bodies through in order to fit these ever-changing beauty standards. For instance, just looking at the different body trends in the U.S. over the last couple of decades, you will start to see a pattern. It started in the 1900s when a curvier figure was preferred. And to achieve this look, women often wore constricting corsets. Next came the 1920s when thin and dainty bodies were considered ideal. This also marked the rise in eating disorders among women. As the 60s rolled around, so did more women's rights with the approval of the first birth control by the FDA. However, though this was a more progressive time, women were still hindered by beauty standards. Diets and exercises were the new fads when women still had this thin body ideal pushed onto them. Then came the 80s and 90s when more athletic, slim bodies were in fashion. But we also saw a rise in obesity in the U.S. The 2000s brought a lack of self-confidence, where we saw an uprise of anorexia noversa and overall dissatisfaction around body image for children at a very young age. It is still up to date where these... The 2000s brought a lack of self-confidence, where we saw an uprise of anorexia nervosa and overall dissatisfaction around body image for children at a very young age. It is still up to debate where these harmful standards originated from or what caused them. All that is for certain is that it stems from a cultural construct of the ideal body. Finally, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel with the 2010s, as people became more and more inclusive in the rise of body positivity movement. However, this does not mean that these standards and issues have gone away. They have changed in a new way through the rise of social media. We'll look more at the impacts of social media and women on some of the trends that we have seen so far in the next segment. Now that we know the history behind beauty standards, let's look at the future. We cannot talk about beauty standards in this day and age without mentioning the impacts of social media and how it acts as a medium to facilitate the fascination with beauty. Since the rise of social media and the internet, research has shown that across all platforms there is a relationship between the use of social media, like Instagram, and a negative body image, which refers to how a person feels and perceives their physical appearance. Young women in particular were found to be most affected both mentally and physically by social media and the rise of social media stars and celebrities. For example, Kylie Jenner was a revealed-to-have lip filler, research found that there was an increase of 3,233% in internet searches for lip filler. Celebrities like the Kardashians often edit and Photoshop pictures of themselves to alter their appearance, perpetuating these false ideals. Social media only spreads this falsehood and sticks in the brain like a disease. Another example of the physical harm that women go through in order to achieve a certain look is the Victoria's Secret fashion show and the drastic measures that these models took. According to research conducted by Dr. May Mone, who is a research associate at Boston University's School of Medicine, our data demonstrates that Victoria's Secret fashion models became more slender over time, with a decrease in bust, waist, hips, and dress size, whereas the WHR remains constant. A link was also found that viewing appearance-focused Instagram images with comments idealizing the portrayed... Oh my god. Oh my god. A link was also found that viewing appearance-focused... Oh my god. That viewing appearance-focused... Okay. A link was... A link was also found that viewing appearance-focused Instagram images with comments idealizing the portrayed appearance increases body dissatisfaction as compared to viewing the same images with comments that resist appearance ideals. However, with all of this negativity that surrounds social media, there are some positives. I believe that it's important to cover both the good and the bad about this topic. Therefore, in our next segment, we will look further into what some of the positive effects of social media are. Social media also helps spread the awareness for movements like the body positivity movement that gained popularity in the late 2010s and has only grown since then. Positive... Social media has also helped spread the awareness for movements like the... Social media also helps spread awareness for movements like the body positivity movement that gained popularity in the late 2010s and has only grown since then. The body positivity movement promotes and celebrates the acceptance of all bodies regardless of size, gender, or race. It also allows for more connections across communities and more representation and creates a platform for calling to action for more representation and awareness across all forms of media. In my own personal experience, I have found social media to be a place of creative freedom where I can support and be supported by others as well as find inspiration for fashion, architecture, and other design aspects. I know that I also struggle with addiction to social media and it is important to acknowledge the power and the responsibility that we hold as users to not get swept away by the glamour and also the mindless scrolling that comes with it. To recap, we have discussed the history and trends of beauty standards in the U.S. as well as an example of other cultures. We have learned about both the positive and negative sides of social media and the impact that it has on beauty standards and thus its effects on women's physical and mental health. We have heard personal experiences and connected them to modern day trends. Now I have some questions for you. In what ways are you conscious of the pressures from social media and society? How might you go about combating these ideals? And what is something that you can take away from this podcast? Thank you for taking the time to listen and I hope that you found this... Finally, to recap, we have discussed the history and trends of beauty standards in the U.S. as well as an example of other cultures. We have learned about both the positive and negative sides of social media and the impact that it has on beauty standards and thus its effects on women's physical and mental health. We have heard personal experiences and connected them to modern day trends. To recap, we have discussed the history and trends of beauty standards in the U.S. as well as an example of other cultures. We have learned about both the positive and negative sides of social media and the impact that it has on beauty standards and thus its effects on women's physical and mental health. We have heard personal experiences and connected them to modern day trends. Now I have some questions for you. In what ways are you conscious of the pressures from social media and society? In what ways are you conscious of the pressures from social media and society? How might you go about combating these ideals? And what is something that you can take away from this podcast? Thank you for taking the time to listen and I hope that you found this educational and interesting. Until next time!