In our culture, a question that people usually ask me is whether I think a person is beautiful, hot, or attractive. It is a common question asked around straight men and there are several reasons I refuse to give my opinion. First, I refuse to tell anyone who I perceive as attractive; it feels uncomfortable and I do not want to increase support for beauty standards everyone seems to be required to uphold. Second, I believe it can have a huge effect on a person's mental health when an individual is constantly striving to be the perfect Ken or Barbie. I believe watching out for everyone's mental health is very important.
Although being attractive has its perks, it also has its downsides. For example, a blogger by the name of Wunmib said it best when she mentioned that "beauty gets the attention but personality wins the heart." Although beauty does get attention, it does not last forever. In addition, I believe it is best to look professional and clean, but trying to look too attractive can also be intimidating for others. Too much beauty can also sometimes lead to so much attention that one is treated like a God and have no sense of peace.
In the case of social media, I think it should only be used to present oneself professionally in terms of what an individual does and what self-concept the individual has. Positive interactions are not usually shared among a big amount of people. For instance, one person might view one adventure like "wow, good for them," while another person might respond with passive-aggressive behaviors or comment insensitively. Therefore, I think it is a good idea to share among others who share another's excitement. To be honest, when addressing the public, there will always be a critic. In other words, the more views one gets then the more support and/or criticism might receive. From how I see it, I rather interact with those who are supportive and those who will critique me in ways that allow me to improve than those who rather bring me down.
In my own life, I personally want to stop calling women and girls in my life more than just beautiful, pretty, or cute. I want to tell them how strong and capable they are, not judge them based on looks. Hopefully, this trend will catch on and people will be kinder and thoughtful within the online environment.
Reference:
/wunmib. "Beauty Gets the Attention but Personality Gets the Heart (Part 2)." Wunmib's Blog, 27 Jan. 2016, wunmib.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/beauty-gets-the-attention-but-personality-gets-the-heart-part-2/.
