Beyond beauty: TikToker argues attractiveness hinders her social and professional life
2:27 PM EST, January 10, 2024
There's a prevalent belief that beauty brings advantages in life. Society often assumes that attractive individuals have more opportunities in various social and professional settings. Negative experiences of beautiful individuals often go overlooked, swept aside by harmful stereotypes that romanticize beauty. For example, a British TikToker spoke out about how these stereotypes adversely impact her life.
An attractive woman, but unhappy
Rowena Carhart has earned popularity on social media, particularly for her makeup looks. Makeup artistry is both her passion and a creative outlet for her. However, societal expectations can put pressure on her to look flawless, as she's often judged solely by her appearance. "I'm not claiming to be the most beautiful woman in the world," she commented in a video that has already garnered nearly 200,000 likes.
"My experiences as an attractive person, from my teenage years to the present as an adult, have not been particularly positive," she says.
On a daily basis, she faces the expectation to appear immaculate. Any slight imperfections she has are immediately spotlighted. It hurts her when the compliments she receives not only praise her beauty but also have undertones intended to lower her self-esteem.
Her attractive physical attributes, including a beautiful face and fit figure, are obstacles in her professional career. As a photographer, she often loses potential clients once they see her photos, with some claiming she looks "too intimidating". Rowena also has difficulties making new acquaintances as others are intimidated by her.
"We engage in friendly conversation, and then someone will say: 'I assumed you were a mean person, but you're actually very nice'," the British woman recounts.
Many hesitate to engage with her, with the prejudiced belief that she can't possibly be nice due to her physical attractiveness. This damaging assumption smashes her confidence, making it challenging for her to even accept compliments kindly.
Listeners' comments reveal that her fears are not unfounded. Instead of showing empathy to the TikToker, many say that she's "blowing things out of proportion". Some even assert that she's making up these problems.
