Between eyebrow shaping and excessive tanning, our appearance-obsessed society has invented a new trend that goes beyond any artwork I've ever seen: contouring. The idea is to highlight your "best" facial features, while slimming and toning down the average and not-so-pleasant areas, as seen below.
But my question is: who decided that some facial features are more attractive and desirable than others? And better yet, why has natural beauty become so frowned upon?
This new trend goes beyond self-improvement. It implies that women's faces should look a certain way. The word "contour" itself (as a verb) actually means, "to mold into a specific shape, typically one designed to fit into something else." So here women are, trying to mold their faces to fit society's standards of beauty. Now, not only do women feel the pressure for their bodies to be a certain size, but for their faces to be a certain size also. In fact, there are even guides to determining the specific shape of your face and how to contour accordingly, like this one:
I do understand that for some, contouring is a healthier alternative to plastic surgery; while for others, contouring is simply a way to look better and feel better. But the amount of time it takes a person to do their makeup according to all of today's beauty standards is beyond me.
I can't help but wonder, will it ever end? How many beauty trends will it take for women to put down the brow filler or concealer and simply embrace that they are beautiful--with or without ten steps of makeup.