Self-Love, Simplicity and Social Acceptance: New Age Fashion Influencers Redefining the Standards of Beauty

Definition of beauty has never remained the same. Its meaning has always kept changing with the passage of time, new development in cultural sphere and variations in social thinking. In India, traditional ideas of beauty have mostly been influenced by the tokenism and stereotyping in popular culture and very obviously movies, television and advertisements have always acted as the vital tools for widespread and reinforcement of the ideas. Fair skin, a slim body and flawless looks have always been accepted as ideals for beauty. Because of this, many people lived their lives under pressure to match these standards to be accepted by society. Today, social media is gradually bringing a change in this regard. Platforms like Instagram, YouTube and Facebook have given a voice to the ordinary people. The medium of communication and the platforms of self-expression are no more restricted to only the upper layer of the society. Now anyone can share his or her stories, voices and honest feelings on social media. Many users talk about self-love, confidence and accepting oneself as they are. Natural photos and personal stories are becoming very common. This kind of content helps people to understand that beauty is not only about physical appearance. On the contrary, it is about confidence and being true to oneself. In a conservative society, where opinions of peer groups and social judgement strongly affect personal choices, this change is highly meaningful. Social media has created space for discussions on body positivity, mental health and most importantly social acceptance. This study looks at how social media content is changing the meaning of beauty and how these new ideas are influencing young people’s thoughts and attitudes in today’s society.