Body positivity has raised a particularly interesting question among those who still hold up the “traditional” standard of beauty. The question goes somewhat as follows – if what I find attractive will always stay attractive no matter what the social circumstances “impose”, are beauty standards constant? Well, if you look at the history of beauty standards, the answer becomes fairly obvious – attractiveness is as malleable as anything else. The new factors come into play with every generation and these are five trends that will transform beauty in 2018.
Plastic surgery has officially become banal
Medicine and technology have broken new ground, hand in hand, and introduced us to a staggering variety of possibilities when it comes to plastic surgery. Beauty treatments have become a mundane reality, something most people can afford. High-quality medical facilities that provide such services are numerous and their professionals have had enough practice to be easily screened by potential customers and deemed fit. However, this is nothing new. Over the last thirty years, plastic surgery has been on the stratospheric rise, so what will change in 2018?
Interestingly enough, only recently we’ve been through the period of plastic-surgery backlash. Due to the increased media presence of people who have become addicted to going under the knife, a lot of prejudice arose about the treatments. Still, the industry itself was strong enough to shake this off fairly easily and now we live in the time when treatments have become rather common. In 2018, barely anyone thinks plastic surgery is worth mentioning. It’s just something you get done and move on.
Men are getting into it
In the big cities of the western world, open-minded and vibrant metropolises like Melbourne for example, you will see a particularly interesting phenomenon when you walk down the street. The number of men who have had some work done practically equals the number of women who have gone under the knife. When it comes to men, most popular plastic surgeries are in the face area.
Facelifts, hyaluronic treatments and hair implants are the name of the game. On the other hand, laser-hair removal from the inopportune areas is a big hit among men, as well as botox injections. As far as other parts of the body are concerned, male breast reduction is the most sought-after treatment.
In 2018, it’s a matter of minimalism
The excess of plastic surgery options and the way in which some people have abused the system brought on a particularly interesting trend that is on the rise in 2018. When it comes to plastic surgery, every hip and tasteful individual won’t shy away from it, but they will know it’s all about minimalism. In other words, it’s about correcting small details, moving some things ever so slightly to be aesthetically pleasing but tasteful. Here’s an example: a decade ago, when a person went to the clinic to fix a crooked nose, they would mostly settle with that regular small, turned up nose.
A factor that brings a true paradigm shift
However, is the “paradigm shift” of beauty standards in 2018 related to the realm of plastic surgery? As a matter of fact, the factor that truly promises to bring change comes from a whole different technological area – information technology. Social networks, especially Instagram, promises to usher a new age of fads and trends. Various influencers now truly have a platform to promote their values and spread their views on what’s aesthetically pleasing. It will be truly interesting to see how this cocktail of opinions changes the landscape of beauty standards in the foreseeable future.
Beauty is in the variety
Body positivity movement and promotion of diversity are still pretty much a “culture shock” for the western world, but they managed to reverberate in a short time frame with staggering efficiency. Even though it has its fair share of nay-sayers, it’s as close to a tectonic shift as trends go. On the one side, media campaigns are all about racial and ethnic inclusivity. On the other hand, people of all shapes and sizes are promoting open-mindedness and tearing down stereotypical ideas. How this surge of radical trends will go is anyone’s guess. In 2018, just like in the previous year, beauty standards can be transformed in the blink of an eye.
Exposed to the new levels of body awareness and changing socio-economic landscape, 2018 promises to introduce us to the paradigm shift when it comes to beauty standards. On the one hand, it might appear to some that new ideas of what should be deemed attractive is forcefully stretched and altered. However, at the end of the day, what this new age of postmodern liberalism is trying to promote is fairly simple and actually honorable – deep down, each and every one of us has their own idiosyncratic idea of beauty, and you should not be ashamed to act upon it. Be comfortable with what you find beautiful.
