The message of inclusivity is meant to be helpful, but it can actually do harm. --- Challenging social norms about who can be beautiful is vital work, and of course it is true that representations of beauty in the media are pathetically white, thin, able-bodied and hetero, and of course this should change. But somewhere along the way, the message of inclusivity went from “every kind of person can be beautiful” to “every person is beautiful.” I’m increasingly convinced that this message isn’t only less radical than we might like to believe, but also actively harmful. Wouldn’t it be freeing to admit that most people are not beautiful? What if we stopped prioritizing pleasing aesthetics above so much else? I wonder what it would be like to grow up in a world where being beautiful is not seen as a necessity, but instead a nice thing some people are born with and some people aren’t, like a talent for swimming, or playing the piano.

Bottom-shelf products and home remedies/concoctions for cooking/cleaning/health/beauty/etc.

"Our obsession with physical appearance may not be so shallow after all." Symmetry and youth rule.