About a week ago, I shared something on my social media about how I’ve been on my “natural hair journey” for 4 years and I still can’t lay my edges. Yesterday, my friend and flatmate made a comment about how we should “free ourselves from the shackles of laid edges.” That’s the story of how this blog post was born.
The standard of beauty is an extremely variable standard. The idea of beauty is always changing. One minute, you need to have fair skin to be beautiful, the next minute you don’t. One minute you have to be really slender to be beautiful and the next, you have to be thicker than a bowl of oatmeal to be beautiful. One minute straight hair is the way to go and the next, you need to have natural hair/curls. It is not consistent at all.
The media is one place that intentionally and unintentionally promotes these unrealistic beauty standards. Let this be your reminder, especially if you’re one who falls prey to the curse of the standard, to curate your social media feeds. We have a say in what we consume and I say let go of anything that makes you feel inferior or not beautiful enough.
You Can Also Read: Social Media Standards of Success and Growth
Wanting to meet these toxic beauty standards, or to fit into the criteria, can lead to depression, anorexia, loss of confidence and many other negative effects. Your mental and physical health can suffer as a result of wanting to meet toxic beauty standards.
You are beautiful. Don’t lose yourself trying to meet a standard that can’t even stay consistent. A standard that doesn’t even care about you. Don’t let society put pressure on you. Don’t fall prey to social media standards.
If you ever want to change something about your body or the way you look, let it be a choice that you consciously make for yourself and to satisfy yourself. It shouldn’t be a choice made to satisfy a variable standard and system where one day you are the poster child of beauty and the next day you are not.
Let us free ourselves from the shackles of beauty standards.
Thanks for reading!
Love,
Wonani Xx
Hey guys! It’s day 8 of the Afrobloggers WinterABC 2021. This week is advocacy week and today, I would like to remind us to do away with unrealistic beauty standards. I am advocating for the death of toxic beauty standards.
Also, I’m doing my best to balance the challenge and uni. I’m currently trying to finish up with my thesis, I have to defend it in a few weeks so that’s a lot of work, plus exams. Regardless, I’m going to do my best to work everything out. (Pray for me lol)
Follow the blog to keep up with all the WinterABC 2021 posts!
doseofwonani.com 
I love this although I’m not a slicker of edges. I go free and live with it.
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Yaasss! Whatever pleases you!
Thanks for reading.
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I gave up on this edges thing, first it is finding the right oil for it then suffering with my 4c to actually sleep for a minute or atleast wait till I step out of the house. Th pressure is real and the internet is not a kind place for the faint herated, well said Wonani
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😂😂 listen, the problems are never ending.
Thank you!
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Beautiful
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Thank you!
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Loved, loved this. Beautiful message fave ❤️
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Thank you so much fave ❤
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I unfollowed a lot of people on Instagram when I realized how terrible I felt about myself. Nowadays I choose to follow accounts that uplift me.
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Exactly! We have the power to choose what content to consume and I’m glad you made the choice you did.
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Thank you Wonani! Everyone’s got to be super confident in their own skin and fashion sense. I like edges tho… LoL!
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Ah, the world is a fickle friend in every sense. Can’t rely on it for things that matter – let’s break the shackles on beauty. Wonderful read.
Good luck with uni and your thesis.
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Exactly!
Thank you so much ❤
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This is totally unrelated but dayummm, that featured image is soooo cool! 😍 I stole it already! 🤭
Oh, BTW, my hair is too kinkily stubborn for the edges to lay. I don’t even bother 🤧
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Totally agree about that featured image 👌🏿.
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I know right!! It’s so cool and she is so beautiful 😭
😂 honestly that is the source of my problems too. I haven’t found a gel that actually holds my hair.
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Haha!! So true….the switching back and forth is so confusing and tiring. Death to them!
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Exactly!! Like at least pick a side 😂
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Wow…first time reading your blog…
SENSE…👏👐👐💞
AM TOUCHED
most females have fallen prey
It’s not easy but we need to really free ourselves
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Thank you!!! ❤
We definitely need to free ourselves
Thanks for reading.
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I want to amplify your voice with the mic 🤗🤗🤗
Don’t lose yourself trying to meet a standard that can’t even stay consistent. A standard that doesn’t even care about you
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Hahaha thank you!!
You can say that three more times 🙌🏾😂
Thanks for reading.
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Free ourselves from the shackles…
I have never tried laying edges and I may not ever…what for ….🤦🤦
Let everyone just be and bloom
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Yes please!!
What stops me from learning is that first of all, I can’t even find a gel that keeps my hair laid 😂 when I cross that bridge, maybe I’ll try again 🤭
Thanks soul sister ❤
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At finding gel😂😂😂😂
Me I don’t believe I even have edges to lay😂😂😂😍
Unless someone finds them am moving on
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😂😂😂
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Death to them all!
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You can say that again!
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