“New year, new me!” We’ve all heard it. We’ve probably all said it, when these first few days of January roll around each year. Nothing wrong with fresh starts and new motivations.
But when it comes to its intersection with the pressures of beauty standards on women – and increasingly on men – it is far less benign than we might think. In fact, trying to be the “new” latest beauty ideal is the opposite of a fresh start and motivation that can deliver benefits.
It is, in fact, a surrender to the old trap in which women find themselves: their worth being judged by how well they measure up to an arbitrary societal beauty standard. Such beauty standards are, by their construction, also impossible to meet. And even if they are met, they are ever-changing.
The focus of this discussion isn’t about getting fit and healthy, or shedding the kilos that might have been amassed over an indulgent holiday period, or as in my case, the aftermath of grief and bereavement. It’s about how beauty standards are enmeshed with the goal of self-improvement. In fact, after some years of hopefulness in the West that lessons about self-esteem and tackling harmful fashion and beauty models were finally paying off, it feels like we are taking a giant step backwards.
The tightening of beauty standards at a time when women are seeking greater autonomy and pushing back on a revival of misogyny is, of course, no surprise. One of the greatest insults lobbed at women fighting for their rights is that they are “ugly”: a manifestation of the “beauty currency” that women are deemed to have. This beauty currency in the West right now is about youthfulness, fertility, traditional femininity (encapsulated by the “tradwife” movement) and a return to slimness even verging on the skinny.
Even children are now entangled in beauty standards, with those below 10 years following full blown skincare routines
We don’t need to look far to see how societal reaction to women asserting their rights is manifesting in the tightening of these beauty standards – and the worrying thing is how women themselves, particularly young women, are adopting these in a way that they see as empowering.
Take the case of preventive Botox, being adopted by women as young as 18, who are worried about their wrinkles (in their teen years!). The paradox of using a form of treatment to get ahead of wrinkles, but then may well cause wrinkles, should not be lost on us. Evidently, the fear of ageing is stronger than ever in youngsters.
There are two problems here. One is that it is often forgotten that wrinkles and ageing are impossible to cover up, because they happen to all women. Second – as I discovered when I researched and published a book for girls about what it means to be beautiful – beauty standards are always shifting.
In the Stone Age, voluptuous women were said to be all the rage, the puffy cherub “Rubenesque” types were once desirable, and then the 1990s and 2000s brought us “size zero” models along with the rise of eating disorders in teenage girls.
The skinny silhouette also seems to be back. The editor of Vogue magazine voiced her concerns at the end of last year of the return of especially skinny models. It ties in with the availability and desirability of Ozempic, a weight loss medication seen as a quick fix to reach that preferred body type.
Even children are now entangled in beauty standards, with those below 10 years following full blown skincare routines. My nine-year-old daughter is telling me how her peers have their own portfolio of products and bedtime processes.
Embracing such beauty standards is worryingly being seen as a form of empowerment, a way to push back on the “have it all” years of feminism.
But falling back to defining women’s worth by how well they adhere to an idealised form of femininity is to give credence to the idea that womanhood is defined by how you look, defined by others. It’s a trap to think that success lies in monetising a kind of beauty that is seen to diminish with age – even if social media can make it for a select few.
It’s a bitter pill, but when self-care is tied to harmful beauty ideals and reducing self-worth to beauty, self-care can become self-harm.
But there’s nothing new in that. Societal beauty ideals have usually been about making women feel that they are not quite good enough: not fair enough, not tall enough, not slim enough, not young enough, not smooth enough, not curvy enough. Not enough. It is usually about leaving women feeling bad about themselves.
Which is why the most revolutionary thing women and girls can do is to look in the mirror and feel good about what we see.
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- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
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Five out of five stars
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
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Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
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Plays golf once a week
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
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Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
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