The influential nature of aesthetics has put a burden on our society and has attempted to teach us what is classed as conventionally beautiful. This has enabled individuals in our community who fit the conventional mould to supposedly live with less discrimination than other members of the queer community. For argument's sake you could compare it to being synonymous with passing privilege for trans people, people in the LGBTQ+ community who coincide with Society’s classic conventions of beauty seem (this is a generalisation) to have an easier time being accepted. This is relayed in the media where muscular straight acting gay men are being given a visible platform whereas someone who is femme presenting is not, someone who subverts the narrative of the binary are frequently underrepresented which is why there is a danger with inflicting these ideals and beauty standards on the queer community.
This is apparent within the community as well, there is an unconscious dependency to follow suit with Society’s binary mould however for a queer person that can be challenging. In turn this has the opportunity to create dysphoria simply because one’s authentic self, one’s beauty doesn’t conform to Society’s outdated preconceived notions of beauty. The perceptions of beauty that are projected onto us carry a multitude of negative prejudices found within the community; from femme shaming to blatant racism apparent on gay dating apps to it’s influences on transphobia. Even though evidence of acceptance and growth in representation all of queer people in the public eye; there’s still more to be done in terms of understanding that queer is beautiful, regardless of it’s presentation.
Therefore to counteract these problems that are rife in the community, the mantra, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” appears to convey a great message, that should hold more resonance amongst queer people as it seems to portray the message that no matter which way you choose express your beauty, you are beautiful.
By eradicating the age-old perceptions of beauty on one’s self it will create space for everyone to feel beautiful regardless of how they present themselves. The most important aspect of beauty is to feel beautiful rather than strive to look conventionally beautiful, to live out your true beauty. In essence, beauty is a complex idea constructed by forces that are out of reach to most of us and all we can do in ourselves and as a community is to create our own personal perception of beauty for ourselves. The outcome of beauty should be to bring happiness into our lives rather than hurt as a consequence of trying to conform to Society’s binary views on what it is to be beautiful.
George Clark
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