When you go to cosmetology school, design school, art school, makeup school, or any other education where you are dealing with human aesthetic you are taught that certain proportions are “ideal.” The woman pictured above has the “right” proportions, an ideal face. These ratios include the spacing of the eyes, the length of the neck, and the shape of the face. There are dozens of rules, and if you’re an artist learning to sketch a person of the first time they come in handy as a sort of generic template. But using these standards as a way to limit what haircuts or clothing a person should wear, or using them to determine whether or not someone is attractive is problematic at best. Why? Well, first of all because the standards are based a European caucasian idea about what people look like, and second because people are unique with endless variations of feature and form and the rules will always have exceptions. What does this mean for you? Freedom! Learn more about letting go of standard beauty in the notes. –Laura Martin 

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