Like many actresses, The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik almost fell prey to Hollywood’s obsession with an unrealistic beauty standard.
Mayim Bialik from The Big Bang Theory almost fell prey to Hollywood’s obsession with beauty. While there is nothing wrong with appreciating beauty, holding a certain type of look superior over others is harmful. The damage only increases when people are ostracized for not matching up to that unrealistic standard.
In an industry as competitive as Hollywood the repercussions of that unrealistic beauty standard increase tenfold. Especially when many doors get barred from actresses who do not adhere to the standards that would otherwise be open to them.
The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik, too, almost came close to caving into the pressure at one point. However, being a part of the industry from a young age made her overcome the pressure at last.
The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik almost became obsessed about a nose job
As stated above, Hollywood has been instrumental in creating a false beauty standard for women for a long time. Many women have fallen prey to that obsession to the point of neglecting their health over the years. Mayim Bialik, too, once faced a critical dilemma over this very obsession.
In an op-ed to The New York Times, the actress elaborated on her struggles in a raw manner that reflected the problems a lot of women, actress or otherwise, have faced everywhere.
I grew up constantly being teased about my appearance, even from members of my family; my nose and chin were the main objects of discussion. As a teenager I started obsessing over the possibility of a nose job so that I would look more like Danica McKellar, with a chin job to balance things out.
However, Mayim Bialik’s struggles didn’t end there and soon she ended up thinking about altering her appearance in some other way that would match up to the standards maintained by Hollywood.
Heartbreakingly, her self-image issues started as early as her appearance in Blossom, where she debuted as a child artist. The notorious critics of that time used such repulsive words to describe her that ended up having an impression on her years after the show ended.
A “TV Guide” critic described me, in a review of the pilot episode of “Blossom,” as having a “shield-shaped” face of “mismatched features.” I never recovered from seeing myself that way.
Thankfully, The Big Bang Theory star’s mother had been a strong guiding force in her life during those years, and she always encouraged her to be herself during auditions.
Nonetheless, she had been aware of the horrors of Hollywood, especially that of child artists from that age. This was what made her have an uncomfortable relationship with the “industry that profits on the objectification of women.”
Mayim Bialik’s op-ed was published in light of Harvey Weinstein being charged with multiple accounts of s*ual assault on aspiring young actresses. She stated that while she was disgusted by the length of his “alleged predation”, someone in power abusing their status in such a way didn’t surprise her in the least.
Like Mayim Bialik, Hollywood’s obsession with unrealistic beauty standards still impacts many actresses
While people have heard many horror stories from former child stars, it still comes as a shock all the same. However, it isn’t just child stars that fall prey to that obsession, as actresses of all ages continue to get criticized for their looks even now.
Be it Mayim Bialik, Lady Gaga, Anne Hathaway, Ariana Grande, or Jennifer Lopez, every actress can vouch for the time they were ridiculed for their appearance due to the unrealistic standards people hold for beauty. Even Bella Ramsey, and Sydney Sweeney, too, have faced such criticisms in the recent past.
Although it is important to state that a lot of these stigmas are slowly changing, the industry still has a long way to go. At any rate, one can only hope that in the coming years, Hollywood, and in turn society will dismantle the standard for beauty.
Moreover, the industry needs to start understanding and appreciating that beauty can mean different things to different people, and there isn’t one size fits all when it comes to such abstract concepts.
For now, though, over-s*xualising or ostracizing people for their appearance continues to be a trend that impacts people in and out of the industry every day.
