History shows that beauty standards are ever-evolving, and what was once considered the pinnacle of beauty, may now be seen as the complete opposite. What constitutes as beautiful in any given time can be very complex – owing to a number of societal factors. Despite the difference in beauty standards throughout history, one commonality is clear: a beautiful appearance is a ‘’healthy’’ one. Studies have shown how taking care of your aesthetic appearance – establishing a beauty routine, investing in time for self-care, and pampering yourself, can actually have a positive impact on your well-being, improve your confidence, better your health, and even increase your life longevity. Curious to learn more? Keep reading to find out more about how establishing a beauty routine can increase your vitality and longevity.
When Did The History Of Beauty Begin?
First, let’s go all the way back and take a look at the history of beauty. Why is it so important, and when did people start paying attention to beauty? Although it’s hard to measure the history of beauty throughout the world, we can observe that Western beauty standards were set over 2,400 years ago in Ancient Greece and Rome. Patterns of symmetry were noted in Greek standards, in which harmonious facial feature proportions signalled optimal beauty. For Ancient Greeks, the perfect face was divided into three sections: from hairline to eyes, from eyes to upper lip, and from upper lip to chin. The ideal face was two thirds as wide as it was high. Symmetrical beauty is still measured in today’s society, with the beauty equation seen in many contemporary celebrities and models
What’s more, throughout history, looks that signified health tended to be the most desireable – and this can still be seen in today’s beauty standards.
“What all beautiful women today have in common is an obvious look of health,” says Andrea Robinson, beauty editor of Vogue. “Even a model’s skin tone implies she leads a healthy life. This is the look today’s women try to achieve.”
Aging Gracefully – The Secret to Longevity Lies in Health
The human body has two different ages: a chronological age and a biological age. Every year you get one year older, whether you like it or not – and this is your chronological age, which you cannot alter or change in any capacity. However your biological age can technically be altered and improved. Your biological age reveals how healthy your body is and can also be a predictor of your longevity. If you take great care of yourself, it’s possible to be 50 years old chronologically with a 30-year-old biological age. This can be achieved by the right lifestyle choices, including consuming a healthy diet, exercising regularly, reducing stress levels, not smoking, and avoiding excess alcohol consumption. Interestingly, research has also shown how well-being, beauty, and personal care behaviours can increase feelings of positivity about oneself, and extend life longevity. How is this possible? Well, the psychological experience of feeling positively about oneself is known as subjective well being (SWB) and has been shown to have significant health benefits. People with SWB tend to engage in health-promoting activities: they eat and sleep better, have increased immunity and even care for themselves in improved ways. Studies show that SWB can even extend longevity, adding up to 7.5 years of life.
Beauty also plays a role in this. According to Vivian Diller, psychologist and author of the book ‘’Face It’’, beauty and personal care behaviors enhance SWB, which in turn promotes other self care behaviors. Vivian Diller’s studies point to how beauty habits can impact overall well-being, with people even smiling more, walking taller, having a confident stride, and making more direct eye contact – when they take care of themselves and their appearance. We all know that sensation of ‘’feeling great’’ after spending a few minutes putting on makeup, caring for our skin or getting our hair done, but now we have the scientific evidence to prove that self-care can positively impact our health as well. So, now you have it – treat yourself to some self-care and time for your beauty regime, content in the knowledge that you are adding to your life longevity, and improving your health.
How to Find A Beauty Routine That You Love
With so many tips and tricks out there to perfecting your beauty routine, it can be incredibly difficult to keep up. Everyday we are bombarded with advertising for new ‘’must-have’’ products, we hear conflicting beauty advice, and we feel surmounting pressure to keep up with the latest beauty trends. Simplify your beauty routine with a the following tips:
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Treat yourself: invest time and effort in your beauty routine – because you are worth it! Whether you love to do a face mask, or get a mani-pedi done, spend time treating yourself to what you love. Now that we know there’s added health benefits to self-care, there’s no reason to not invest in some luxurious pampering time!
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Be healthy to look healthy: as we have discussed, a beautiful appearance is a healthy one. Give your body the fuel it needs with healthy food, exercise regularly, and avoid smoking and too much alcohol consumption. Trust us – you will glow from the inside out, as a result!
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Simply your beauty routine: you don’t need to spend countless hours applying makeup, doing your hair, and pampering yourself to feel good. Sometimes a natural makeup look, and some basic skincare (we’re talking cleanser, toner, moisturizer with an SPF, and serum) is enough to make you feel great in your skin. You can further simplify your makeup routine, and cut back on time spent on tedious makeup application, by investing in semi-permanent makeup. Semi-permanent makeup can be a wonderful way of accentuating your features and adding to your beauty style – from microblading, to lip blushing, to eyeliner – and much more. Don’t hesitate to contact our team at Make Blink Studio to discover your dream beauty style today.
We hope you have enjoyed reading about beauty and its relation to life longevity. Remember, beauty routines and self-care is more than just your aesthetic appearance – it can make us look and feel good, and even improve our health, vitality, and longevity. It’s time to stop viewing beauty routines and treatments as guilty pleasures and see them as an important aspect of a healthy self-image.
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