Most of the pictures of this year’s Trinidad Carnival that I saw, reminded me of the amplification and glorification of society’s fixation and obsession with thinness. Visible ribs, hip bones that appeared to be protruding and the unbelievably flat stomachs I saw in the forefront of carnival bands managed to sell the idea that thinness, now more than before, is probably the accepted and craved for beauty standard.
The exceptions were few and many seemed to adhere to a specific look/body aesthetic. The bodies tended to share a close resemblance to Kim Kardashian’s. I suppose it is their idea and version of inclusion. This beauty standard, however, reflects more of a symptom of a larger problem. It is representative of the bubble that women find themselves living in that consciously and unconsciously, aggressively influences them to alter and adjust their beauty standards to be liked and accepted.