Redefining Beauty

Beauty standards are at once a celebration of femininity, and an agent of conformity. Some people are being driven to anxiety and disorders by chasing unreachable standards, others are subverting those standards by asserting broader notions of beauty: dark skin, natural hair, more diverse body types.

South Korea has one of the world’s highest rates of plastic surgery. In the United States, beauty brand’s advertising campaigns aim to reflect and attract a more diverse audience, gaining considerable market share.

Technology and social media worldwide have put the power to define beauty into the hands of the people. We are in an expansive moment where everyone is beautiful.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Hannah Reyes Morales is a Filipino photographer and National Geographic explorer, whose work documents tenderness amid adversity. Her photography, both visceral and intimate, takes a look at how resilience is embodied in daily life.

Based in Manila, Reyes Morales explores the universal themes of diaspora, survival, and the bonds that tie us together. Redefining Beauty, her second feature story for National Geographic, is part of a year-long series highlighting women’s stories.

PARTNER BIO

Established in 1888, National Geographic is a trusted print and digital publication offering stories that illuminate, inspire, and reveal. Our mission is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of cultures, the sciences, and the natural world. We advance that mission by creating visually-stunning, richly reported photojournalism, and distinguished, impartial coverage of the globe’s most pressing issues.

National Geographic reaches millions of people, with 35 editions in 32 languages. It has the largest social media following of any magazine, and its digital and social media serve more than 350 million monthly viewers around the world.