Women defying society’s unrealistic beauty standards are raising awareness of mental health issues that can arise

A Hong Kong non-profit that highlights the obstacles women of colour face will host an exhibition tonight highlighting unrealistic beauty standards

Showcasing art and dance around the theme of body appreciation, it will also draw attention to the mental issues that such beauty standards can trigger

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Published: 12:45pm, 21 Feb 2020Updated: 4:27pm, 21 Feb 2020

Bidhya Shrestha says her insecurities about being dark skinned were shaped by the society she grew up in.

Born in Hong Kong of Nepalese descent, she says pressure from her family to meet unrealistic beauty standards also didn’t help.

“I was constantly told to stay out of the sun so I didn’t get too dark, and told to eat more because I was too skinny. Comments like these stick when you’re young – they’re very difficult to unlearn,” says Shrestha, founder of Aama Ko Koseli, a non-profit group that highlights the obstacles that marginalised women of colour face.

“My insecurities stem from those remarks and from the lack of representation of women of colour in the media and the beauty industry that promote light-skinned models. Look at Hong Kong – it’s a culturally diverse city, but how often do we see a dark-skinned model in the media?”

Aama Ko Koseli members (from left) Rai Sharon, Phagami Merina, Bidhya Shrestha and Gurung Saiksha. Photo: Rai Jenny

Aama Ko Koseli is hosting “Beyond Body”, an exhibition that aims to turn this notion of what society considers acceptable beauty standards on its head. Tonight’s exhibition at MakerHive in Kennedy Town showcases art and dance around the theme of body appreciation and includes videos of models inclusive of race, sexual orientation and bodies.