i’ve been vaguely formulating words for a post for months about the “glowup” trend specifically when someone uses a photo from like age 10 or 13 and then a photo now of them as an adult and everyone is like “there is hope!!!!”
bc the subtle (even if unintentional) message that it’s possible to Be ugly at age 10 and that we should’ve somehow been what?? hotter?? more attractive, as literal children, is EXTREMELY disturbing and definitely part of why we’re seeing elementary and middle schoolers doing makeup and wearing clothes to present themselves as adults on social media like instagram.
everyone shares those “me at 14 vs. 14 year olds now” memes with a modern 14 yr old perfectly contoured with puckered lips but nobody considers that by sharing photos of ourselves as children and suggesting that we were ugly and lame and embarrassing, we’re teaching kids who are that age now that they should AVOID looking their age.
and then today I saw a glowup post that literally featured a photo of a 20 year old now and a photo of them as an Actual Toddler and I realize maybe I just don’t even HAVE the words
stop saying you were “ugly as a kid” where kids can hear you. kids can’t be ugly, because no one should be holding them to any standard that judges them by their looks! and people will say “okay, but be honest with yourself, some kids just are prettier than others.”
No! Some kids are considered “prettier” than others based on a set of made-up standards set by adults!
No child should ever be viewed through the lens of “attractive” or “not attractive,” because they’re children, and when you refer to your childhood self as ugly or lame or embarrassing, the children around you look for the features you’re referring to in themselves and try to avoid/erase them. And if they can’t, they just settle for hating that part of themselves.
It isn’t about you anymore. The children are listening. They’re watching. Be mindful.