Philosopher Heather Widdows discusses the ethics of beauty and looks-based discrimination. She explains why beauty companies use moral language to sell products. Topics include the impact of body shaming, resisting beauty ideals, and embracing diversity.
Lookism should be recognized as a serious issue alongside sexism and racism in society.
Lookism deeply affects individuals' self-esteem and confidence, highlighting the need for collective cultural change.
Promoting inclusivity and embracing kindness can help challenge beauty standards and reject body shaming.
Deep dives
The Shift towards Appearance as an Ethical Ideal
The podcast explores how the beauty ideal has transitioned from emphasizing character to focusing heavily on appearance. It delves into the cultural shift where individuals now judge and value themselves based on their physical appearance rather than their character or other qualities. The episode highlights how this global beauty ideal has become pervasive, defining beauty as thinness with curves, smoothness, firmness, and youthfulness. It also addresses the impact of social media and visual culture in shaping and narrowing these beauty standards.
The Prevalence of Lookism
The podcast discusses the concept of lookism, which refers to appearance discrimination. Lookism is an under-recognized prevalent form of bullying, particularly in schools. It is explained that lookism is highly pervasive and cuts deeply, affecting individuals' self-esteem and confidence. The episode emphasizes the need to bring attention to lookism and challenge its societal acceptance, just as sexism and racism have been acknowledged and addressed. It calls for reframing the narrative and shifting the focus from blaming individuals to promoting a collective cultural change.
Challenging Beauty Ideals and Cultivating Kindness
The episode urges individuals to be kinder to themselves and others in the context of beauty standards. Rather than feeling compelled to resist the beauty ideal individually, the episode encourages a collective effort to challenge and change cultural norms. It suggests reframing the conversation to highlight real diversity and redefine beauty by featuring various body types, ethnicities, and abilities. By promoting inclusivity and embracing kindness, the podcast advocates for a shift towards a society that rejects body shaming and appreciates the diversity of human beauty.
The Influence of Visual Culture on Beauty Ideals
The podcast discusses how visual culture, including images on screens and magazines, shapes our beauty ideals and influences our perceptions of how we should look. Despite knowing that these images are often filtered and edited, we still aspire to the flawless Instagram aesthetic. The podcast highlights the impact of visual culture on our self-perception and explores the consequences of valuing appearance over other qualities.
The Complex Nature of Lookism and Discrimination
The podcast delves into the concept of lookism, discrimination based on appearance, and its pervasive nature in society. The guest emphasizes the importance of recognizing the creative and enriching aspects of beauty culture, while also acknowledging the dominating and demanding elements. The conversation emphasizes the need to address lookism alongside other forms of discrimination, promoting a shift towards body acceptance and celebrating diverse appearances.
Lookism, or looks-based discrimination, doesn’t get society’s attention like sexism and racism, but philosopher Heather Widdows thinks it should. In one of our favorite interviews (originally aired in 2021, presented here with a new September 2023 intro), she explains the ethics of beauty and why beauty companies use moral language (“Be your best self!”) to sell products. This episode will make you rethink the way you talk about (and judge) other people's looks—and reconsider the way you respond when others comment on your appearance.
