Sick of the Love Island aesthetic

[Raspberryclouds]

Don't know what else to call it, and don't want to name names or post pictures of people as that's unfair but it's everywhere and makes me feel inadequate.
They've all got a tan, gleaming white teeth, microbladed eyebrows, mermaid hair (they never have short hair like me!)
Plump lips, false eyelashes, freckles, perfect cheekbones and perfect figures, flawless skin. Oh and all have these perfect tiny noses whereas mine is wide.
I know a lot of it is Instagram/filters but most of them look the same in reality.

I feel like some sort of potato in comparison because it seems that this is what's considered attractive. I live in Manchester city centre and there are ten a penny slim, statuesque stunning women with long flowing hair going on a night out.
I didn't think I was awful, but just feel so basic and unremarkable.
I can't afford to get consistent beauty treatments, eyelashes are expensive, I put a fake tan on myself but can't afford constant spray tans, constant teeth whitening and so on.
I need to learn to be happier with what I've got, but just feel so dull, does anyone else feel like this.

Very funny @Deadringer excellent description 😂

"Your idea of aesthetic isn’t the only one. If people want to have various surgeries that’s their business, no matter their profession."

That's what I was responding to.

@InTheOrchard
You call it snobbery, I'm as far as you can get from posh and I'm not old either. Most people know the look and think it looks ridiculous in real life.

So, no, you're trying to paint this as a middle class Mumsnet snobbery issue but most people think the same.

No different to saying I wouldn't want a doctor or barrister in a trackie, I guess that's also snobbery.

It’s not the same thing at all. And snobbery has nothing to do with being old or posh, for Christ’s sakes?!

Apart from one crucial difference - the 'contestants' on Crufts are naturally beautiful.

Yes. I maintain that the majority of female GPs, solicitors, engineers etc do not subscribe to the Love Island aesthetic. Obviously there will always be the occasional exception, but on the whole, this exaggerated aesthetic is linked to intelligence/level of educational attainment/career.

Agree. And even if you do like that look to the max, most people have the sense to tone it down a bit for work. There's nothing empowering about being a 'highly educated professional' who also feels the need to look this way, in my opinion.

It’s not the same thing at all. And snobbery has nothing to do with being old or posh, for Christ’s sakes?!

I think you need to hide this thread if it's upsetting you.

My point is that people my age (young) also think it looks silly. It's not just the stereotypical MN poster. Sorry.

And they are judged by how well they meet breed standards, not by how cute they are?

If ‘Friends’ aired today…

I haven't switched any argument.

The majority of highly educated women do not subscribe to the love island aesthetic. And the majority of women who do subscribe to it are not highly educated professionals.

That is a truth. Surely you know that is a truth. How does it make me a misogynist to state the obvious?

Don’t attempt to patronise me. And I don’t care about the standard Mumsnetter, I haven’t mentioned anything about the typical Munsnetter, I have zero clue of their age or class, nor do I care. I don’t know what argument you’re attempting to have but you’re having it with yourself because none of it is relevant to anything I have said.

I called the comments I was responding to were snobbery and they are. If a person is kind and good at their job, I don’t care about what they look like and I think to judge someone and claim they are thick, as people have done here, purely because they look a certain way, it’s snobbery. And utter bullshit. And I don’t care who has these thoughts, they’re the same if you’re 18 or 80.

Because that’s not what I said? I didn’t say anything about a majority of anything.

I mentioned that some of the people you were talking about as ‘highly profession’ had this look. Then I referred to the jobs on LI. You said that you bet few of the women held those jobs, inferring that only the men possibly could. That’s the misogyny there and if you can’t see that then it’s a real problem. Why can’t the women have held those jobs? Why does it just have to be the men? It’s utterly ridiculous to state that a women is thick just because she might have had a boob job and a spray tan. It’s utter misogyny.

Um I didn't infer anything about men only being able to hold those jobs - you said that 2 of them were men, which obviously reduced the pool of women on there in those positions. I would assume that few men on Love Island are GPs, solicitors etc either because I see those kind of blokes as being just as vacuous as the women.

I think it's over already
.
All the young women I know are rocking the natural vibe.
No fake tan, eyebrows, fillers and many are getting lip filler dissolved.
Very natural make up, understated etc.

It's the same as boob jobs in the 90s -suddenly over .

Agreed. This look is terrible dated to me.

Then that’s your issue for making assumptions again.

Saw a study last week that showed that botox stops the botoxed person understanding the body language and social cues of others.
As well as affecting the face it affects the brain structure eventually.
They mentioned Parkinsons disease and Dementia possibly being the result 😬

Crufts? Yes. 😄

It's an interesting question about whether the LI look is regressive or progressive.

It's regressive for me as I think it harks back to an era where women were judged more on how they look than their intellect or professional achievements. In all honesty, I do have a preconception that those in thick makeup and a trout pout might not be blessed with intellect. And that may be totally wrong and I applaud people's right to wear what they choose.

But surely we're all aware that our appearance may lead to people stereotyping us, consciously or otherwise. I rarely wear make up or fancy dresses so you'd probably think I'm a typical middle-aged mum who's let herself go. I'm fine with that because my appearance isn't important to me, other than looking professional for work.

What are we basing this on, exactly? Ones you have personally seen, that are UK based? Because a high maintenance aesthetic is absolutely common across all strata of society. How polished it is, is dependent on finances that allows access to quality products and providers.

Unsurprisingly, the more money you have to spend, the less likely it is that you’ll look ‘cheap’.

It's a normal human process to make assumptions, we all do it.

Are my assumptions wrong? Are you asserting that in actual fact, Love Island is full of highly educated professionals of both sexes?

You know full well it's not. You said that there have been apparently 4 contestants who have held these kind of jobs. Out of how many contestants over how many seasons? You know it's a minority. I would imagine that a big deal was made out of it, because it was unusual, and that's why you know/remember in the first place.

So yes I am going to assume that most people who go on Love Island are vacuous. I know I'm very unlikely to be wrong.

Do you remember that well known quote by Dolly Parton? "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap."

I can't help but stare when I see a LI specimen. In a curious staring at an animal in a zoo kind of stare.

I'm just fascinated how they managed to clone themselves to look so similar.

I wonder what their faces really look like.

Is BH meant to be attractive?! I thinks he’s pleasant looking but I wouldn’t say she was stunning - her sister is very attractive tho. I don’t get the hype re ER either mind you - I always thought she was alright looking - nice body, I read somewhere she just gave up acting - I didn’t even know she was an actress 🤦🏻‍♀️. I know what you mean tho OP - it’s everywhere on insta this ‘look’ - I don’t watch Love Island but I think they look quite fake if that’s what you aspire to be. It’ll soon be out of fashion tho….

See Bella Hadid (I know she's had surgery) Emily Ratajkowski, etc..

But Bella Hadid and Emily Rata aren’t from Love Island … they’re literally supermodels!!

You can’t compare yourself to supermodels and love island contestants who (majority) photoshop, edit and Facetune their pictures and all get gifted or discounted beauty treatments and salon visits.

Most of the Love Island crowd will have very low self esteem anyway. There’s a documentary with Kathy Burke who talks to Megan Barton-Hanson from Love Island and Megan explains how unhappy with her looks she was, so has had multiple surgeries and aesthetic treatments.

It’s sad that in our society women and some men feel the need to have cosmetic surgeries and treatments, hair extensions, nails, etc… but, different looks will come in and out of fashion. Look at Charlotte Crosby and Blac Chyna who have both recently had their fillers dissolved and going back to a more natural look.