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I curated this text set around the beauty standards exploited in society. My text set explores the different ways that beauty standards inflict difficulties in our lives. After reading the novel Scars Like Wings, my perception of beauty standards implemented by society has ultimately changed. The novel has further expanded my awareness of the intellectual effects of beauty stereotypes. There are many reasons for the importance of addressing this broad topic through a series of different sources. It allows an individual to address the harmful effects of beauty portrayed in society and consider how an individual's appearance can automatically change our perception of them and our behavior. This text set highlights the importance of self-acceptance and not letting this uncontrollable factor determine an individual's self-worth.

At the center of this text is Scars Like Wings. This novel explores the perspectives of three characters, all navigating high school cliches, but interprets it through different lenses. The protagonist Ava suffers from severe facial deformities after surviving a traumatic fire, alongside Ava is Piper, who also has obtained severe complications from a traumatic car accident. Although they experienced similar traumatic events, Ava and Piper's personalities differentiate from each other. Piper's outgoing and bold personality empowers her not to let the discrimination she faces from her peers determine how she lives her life. Piper pushes back against the stereotypical idea of beauty and allows her differences to inspire her. While Ava lets her facial differences control how she perceives others and herself. Ava lets the discrimination she faces slowly deteriorate her life. Together these two characters delve into the idea that there are ultimately two ways of interpreting how beauty standards affect your lives. These two characters teach us that despite our differences, we are capable of achieving anything as long as we believe in ourselves. Another important character that implements how beauty standards can affect our perception of others is Asad. Instead of treating Ava and Piper differently because of their deformities, Asad embraces their unique traits and helps them as they navigate the discrimination from their peers. Asad pushes back against the short-sightedness of dismissing someone for their perceived lack of beauty and develops a deep intellectual connection with Piper and Ava.

In reading this Text set, I recommend reading the articles to help enhance your background of the effects of beauty standards before delving into the novels. The articles will help guide your thinking of why these characters in the novels ultimately face discrimination for their appearance. After reading the novels, I recommend reading the book review to obtain a different perspective of the novel and to expand your interpretation of it. Following the book review, I recommend listening to Scars Like Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara which is empowering and teaches listeners the importance of self-acceptance. I would follow the song with the children's book that intensifies the idea of not limiting yourself based on appearance. I would finish the text set by reading the poem which ultimately teaches readers that beauty is depicted by the soul and not appearance.

Curating this text set has helped further my understanding of the harmful effects of beauty standards. This text set has made me question my behavior in the past and consider if I have ever based my perception of someone solely on their appearance. It also has made me realize how often I dismiss myself and participate in self-loathing because of society's beauty standards. I ultimately think that beauty should not determine how we treat others and ourselves and that we are far more than our appearance. It has made me consider how important it is to advocate for ourselves and diminish the harmful stereotypes induced by social media.

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The novel Scars Like Wings is a heartbreaking story that explores the life of a girl who survives a traumatic fire and as a result, suffers from severe facial deformities. The protagonist deals with harsh discrimination from her peers as she attempts to integrate back into her former life after her accident. Things go better than expected for Ava, as she forms an intimate relationship with a fellow burn survivor Piper, who ultimately helps Ava embrace her scars. Throughout the story, Erin Stewart delineates the significant role beauty plays in our treatment of others and the importance of friendship as individuals navigate difficulties.

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Wonder is a powerful story of a 10-year-old boy named August, who suffers from severe facial deformities. August faces continuous discrimination and hate from his classmates, friends, and even his own family as he attends school for the first time. As the story progresses, the author includes different perspectives of essential characters, which further ameliorates the story. The inclusion of different perspectives gives readers insight into why these characters ultimately fail to see past August’s differences, such as factors like fear, embarrassment, and incognizance. Ultimately, Wonder explores the idea of beauty and its effect on our perception, and in turn, our behavior.

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This review of Scars Like Wings from the perspective of a teenager explores how she can easily emphasize with the protagonist even despite their extreme differences. Cassidy Miller's review required me to think deeper into the intellectual connection I could have with the protagonist. As I was delving into the novel, it was a challenge for me to have an interpersonal connection with the protagonist. I continuously felt an immense amount of sorrow for Ava and failed to notice that we actually can relate on numerous levels. But after indulging in the review from Cassidy Millers, I realized that while I can't remotely relate to her traumatic experiences, I can relate to her daily struggles. Such as the discomfort of attempting to fit in during high school and trying new things with the constant fear of judgment and failure. This review has allowed me to realize that even though people could have drastic differences, there are always some aspects of life that individuals can relate to. It also made me realize that we sometimes automatically assume that people with physical deformities are different than us, but if we take the time to indulge in relationships with these people, we can realize that we are all struggling to manage the hardships of navigating society.

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Erin Stewart offers a compelling read about what happens when tragedy turns one teen's life upside down-and how she finds the strength to keep going.

Parent Review: Scars Like Wings

When my daughter and I were selecting a book to review, the title Scars like Wings immediately caught my attention. I am a fan of the YA genre, and this particular title looked like it was right up my alley. Scars didn't disappoint.

This compelling story of Ava, a teenager who lost her parents and cousin in a fire, makes you second-guess any obstacle in your own life. She was an only child, and her cousin was her best friend. In one night, it was all taken away. Despite the love and attention of her aunt and uncle, Ava feels alone-a feeling we all have during the difficult times of our lives.

Although she survived the fire, Ava spends the next year enduring numerous surgeries, not to mention stares from curious onlookers. She moves into her cousin's old bedroom with her aunt and uncle, who are also struggling to recover from the loss of their daughter.

Though Ava has completed her schoolwork online since the event, she finally gives in to her aunt's request to show up onsite for two consecutive weeks. Her journey to rejoin the living is intriguing. She meets a fellow burn victim in her new school. Both girls have scars, but Ava hides them and tries to blend in while the other actively flaunts hers with hot-pink compression sleeves.

Scars Like Wings centers around the idea that all human beings have scars-some are just more visible than others. Ava's journey shows us how not only to embrace them, but also leverage them to become the best version of ourselves. The ultimate lesson: to treat everyone, including ourselves, with compassion.
Shannon Hilmar is a mother of three teenagers and lives in Irvine, California.
Teen Review: Scars Like Wings

As a college student struggling with nothing more than what to wear each day and turning in assignments on time, I have a hard time empathizing with the main character in Scars Like Wings. Ava is a 16-year-old girl, an only child. She has lost both her parents and the comforting monotony of her everyday life when she was burned in a house fire that almost took her life.

While I can't remotely relate to her experience, I do get her daily struggles and her feelings of discomfort as she works to fit in among unwelcoming high school cliques. I get how hard it is for her to participate in the things she is passionate about without worrying about judgment or retaliation. While Ava has a more difficult life than many can fathom, her desire to fit in and seem "normal" in the eyes of her peers makes her a relatable narrator.

In Scars Like Wings, author Erin Stewart also provokes deeper questions through her writing, forcing the reader to delve into their own thoughts and beliefs. At one point, Ava is told she is lucky to be alive,. She questions why it is lucky that she didn't die alongside her parents and her cousin-because they are at peace and she isn't. This forces the reader to deeply think about whether suffering is better than death.

In this impossible-to-put-down novel, Stewart highlights the complicated nature of forming relationships following difficult life circumstances. She also shows that any obstacle can be overcome with the help of friends and family. All in all, Scars Like Wings is a sweet, heartwarming tale of a girl attempting to find her "new normal"and move forward in the midst of struggle.
Cassidy Hilmar is a 19-year-old sophomore at San Diego State University and is from Irvine, California.

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Scars Like Wings: A Great Story About Overcoming Tragedy to Find a New Normal - Your Teen Mag

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Erin Stewart offers a compelling read about what happens when tragedy turns one teen's life upside down-and how she finds the strength to keep going. When my daughter and I were selecting a book to review, the title Scars like Wings immediately caught my attention.

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A Different Little Doggy is a heartwarming story that teaches individuals that being different in life does not have to be an obstacle. It explores the life of a puppy Taz, who endures aspects of herself that differ from her peers. Instead of being discouraged by her abnormalities, she embraces them and continues to live her life to the fullest. This story highlights the importance of not limiting yourself based on physical appearance and internal differences.

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Alessia Cara's song Scars To Your Beautiful is an exploration of the contradicting idea that you shouldn't have to change yourself, the world should change. It exemplifies the measures individuals take, such as developing an eating disorder, to be accepted by the beauty standards implemented by society. This powerful song is used to empower individuals to embrace their scars because they are what make us unique and beautiful. Alessia Cara is promoting a message of self-acceptance that challenges the beauty standards that are affiliated in society.

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Alessia Cara - Scars To Your Beautiful (Official Audio)

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This poem suggests that beauty should not be defined from physical appearance, such as hair or body image. Instead true beauty is reflected by the soul. This poem explores the ways that beauty should be defined as the care, passion and benevolence that an individuals endures. Audrey Hepburn pushes back against the stereotypical aspects of beauty and intensifies her view of beauty on an intellectual level rather than physical appearance.

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The Beauty Of A Woman By: Audrey Hepburn

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The Beauty Of A Woman
The beauty of a woman
isn't in the clothes she wears,
The figure that she carries,
or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman
must be seen from in her eyes;
Because that's the doorway to her heart,
the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman
isn't in a facial mole;
But true beauty in a woman,
is reflected by her soul.
It's the caring that she cares to give,
the passion that she shows;
And the beauty of a woman
with passing years only grows.

Analysis
The true beauty is not about the way she look, wear, or even how her hair look. The true beauty is about how she looks from inside, and about how much her soul is good, or hoe much she has goodness. There is a lot of women who are beautiful, but their personality is so ugly.

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The Beauty Of A Woman The beauty of a woman isn't in the clothes she wears, The figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes; Because...

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This article is an exploration of the toxicity of beauty standards. It explores the idea, that society is heavily influenced by what individuals see in media. Tv shows and movies typically cast presumably perfect characters, which can cause individuals to perceive themselves as not good enough. This overwhelming desire to feel a sense of belonging can cause detrimental factors, such as eating disorders and body dysmorphia. This article highlights that an individual's conception of beauty is shaped by social media. The article pushes back against society and exemplifies that social media and other media platforms need to include different types of beauty to prevent these toxic effects.

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In the world today, see different ad campaigns and TV personalities that show completely unrealistic beauty standards. These expectations are detrimental to a woman's self-esteem and can push them to make questionable decisions when it comes to their own unique selves. Society's beauty standards need to embrace all women.

An incredible advocate in body positivity is the artist Lizzo. She is a proud feminist and shares the message that big is beautiful. Lizzo is a strong personality that stands up for everyone, which makes her an inspiring role model to many kids. As an influential artist, she promotes loving oneself no matter what they look like. Young people now are growing up in a more inclusive and accepting environment. Because of this, there is a promising future of the media portraying all different types of people that represent our diversity for kids today.

These standards can cause people to go to lengths to achieve the face or body they want. Plastic surgery use has been rapidly increasing. People see stars like Angelina Jolie or Kylie Jenner setting trends for plump lips and decide they want to change themselves to fit that description. According to an article titled "How Plastic Surgery Is Changing What It Means to Be Beautiful" botox procedures alone have increased by 759% since 2000. The issue with plastic surgery is that there is the risk of the procedures being botched, which can be unhealthy for the person's body. The Mayo Clinic 's overview of cosmetic surgery states that with plastic surgery there is risk of complications from anesthesia, infection at the surgery site, fluid build up under the skin, bleeding, scarring and nerve damage. Women would not be in danger of these complications if it weren't for the beauty standards that push them to get these surgeries.

Procedures to use weight such as CoolSculpting, freezing fat, and Zerona, a fat-contouring laser treatment, have been becoming more popular to achieve a skinnier shape. It's upsetting that women are willing to go to lengths to change their own beauty to fit what society wants.

The only way this is going to change is if society begins to open their minds to different types of beauty besides the ones that are expected. All races, body shapes, hairstyles and stretch marks should be socially acceptable. Moving forward and away from the outdated beauty standards is essential. Doing this will give all women the confidence they need to be themselves without fear of judgement. The future is bright, but we need to branch out and be accepting of everyone in order to make the progress needed.

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In the world today, see different ad campaigns and TV personalities that show completely unrealistic beauty standards. These expectations are detrimental to a woman's self-esteem and can push them to make questionable decisions when it comes to their own unique selves. Society's beauty standards need to embrace all women.

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The article, How does appearance affect our success,

highlights that people who are presumably more attractive obtain more advantages in life. The author infers the importance of advocating for the social stigma for people with facial differences. She exemplifies the importance of addressing social problems that occur because of appearance.

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Social science research shows that a person's physical appearance has a meaningful impact on their life experiences and opportunities, but the story is more complicated than people might expect.

For the most part, attractive people enjoy a lot of perks. For example, a psychological concept called "the halo effect" that has strong ties to beauty; upon a first impression, highly attractive people are presumed by others to have a variety of positive personality traits, such as altruism, stability, and intelligence, compared to less attractive people, as though an invisible "halo" were shining down upon the beautiful. This helps to explain rampant appearance discrimination in the workplace, dating market, and even in our court system. In his book Beauty Pays, economist David Hamermesh shows that attractive people are more likely to be employed, are paid higher wages, are more likely to be approved for a loan, negotiate loans with better terms, and have better looking and higher-status spouses. Attractive criminals even receive lighter sentences for their crimes (and occasionally their mugshots go viral and they end up with fan-clubs and modeling contracts - Google "Hot Convict" for that story!).

The research I described above paints a picture in which beauty predicts having a good life, but the story is more complicated that. In fact, I strongly caution anyone from investing too heavily in their own appearance. There are two reasons I say this. The first is a critique of the research and its implications, and the second is a more holistic way of understanding "success."

Okay, so what does this research really mean for individuals?

Most of the research on appearance and inequality relies on highly subjective ratings of beauty. In most cases, a research team ranks photographic images of people on a 1-5 scale, with 1 = strikingly unattractive or homely, 2 = below average appearance for age and sex, 3 = average appearance for age and sex, 4 = above average appearance for age and sex, and 5 = strikingly handsome or beautiful.

It may not be surprising to learn that the greatest differences in life experiences are found when comparing the "1s" to the "5s." However, differences in life experiences between, say, a "3" and a "4" (one level of difference) or even between a "1" and a "3" (two levels of difference) were generally miniscule. In statistical terms, they were frequently "insignificant," suggesting that even if a person were able to improve their appearance, they would have to change from being "exceptionally unattractive" to "strikingly beautiful" in order to experience meaningful benefits along the lines I described above. This is simply impossible, even with modern day technology. As David Hamermesh explained "While looks can be altered by clothing, cosmetics, and other short-term investments, the effects of these improvements are minor. Even plastic surgery doesn't make a huge difference." In other words, spending excessive amounts of time or money, or putting oneself through miserable weight-loss diets and/or painful or risky medical procedures is NOT a logical investment of one's resources, time or health. Also, in one of the largest studies of this kind - with 2,774 participants - over 95% of people were rated as 2s, 3s, or 4s, so at the end of the day we're all pretty much average, and I, personally, find some comfort in that.

What do we really mean by "success"?

My argument that people should not invest too much into their appearance because there won't be much payoff may leave some people feeling quite discouraged about their ability to become more attractive and therefore more successful. It seems unfair. And yet.... this only matters if our definition of "success" is entangled with money and status. The good news (I think) is that, despite its other perks, BEAUTY IS NOT A STRONG PREDICTOR OF OVERALL HAPPINESS OR LIFE SATISFACTION. Gorgeous people are not happier than homely folks. Rather, decades of social-psychological research tells us that the single biggest predictor of human happiness in the quality of a person's social relationships. In other words, if you want to be happier and more satisfied with your life, you should work on improving the health of your relationships, not the appearance of your body.

Wait - Does this mean that appearance discrimination doesn't matter?

No. Absolutely not. In fact, my own research focuses on appearance discrimination in both the workplace and in cultural markets, such as the fashion industry. Happiness is more important than money, but income inequality and social stigma and bullying are both serious issues that need to be addressed. We need to change our culture at all levels to accept and celebrate bodily diversity, and our legal system needs to recognize appearance discrimination as an issue of civil rights. I tell my students to stop wasting their time and energy on the latest fad diet, and to instead channel those resources towards more reliable self-care projects and especially towards activism. In particular, I'm very critical of media messages that (1) tell us that our looks are the most important aspect of who we are (which simply isn't true), and then (2) present images of beauty that are extremely photoshopped and therefore physiologically impossible to achieve in real life. These images and messages contribute to poor body image and eating disorders, and we need to hold advertisers and social media influencers accountable for the damage they cause.

Okay. Then does this mean that caring about beauty and fashion and makeup is always bad?

Absolutely not, again! I personally love playing around with fashion and makeup. As a feminist and sociologist of culture I value people's enjoyment of creative self-expression and I recognize that indulging in beauty practices can be an element of self-care and pride for many people. Self-expression matters. Identity matters. Creativity matters. Pleasure matters. That said, for every person there is a point of diminishing returns on investing in appearance. I encourage people to thoughtfully find their point of diminishing returns, so they can more consciously decide how to spend their time and resources.
Kjerstin Gruys is an assistant professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno and author of "Mirror, Mirror, OFF the Wall: How I Learned to Love My Body By Not Looking at It for a Year," (Avery, 2013). She has been published in Social Problems and Social Science & Medicine, recently on the ForbesWomen section of Forbes.com, among others. Prior to earning her Ph.D. from UCLA (2014), Kjerstin worked as a merchandiser in the corporate offices of two multi-national fashion firms. She is currently developing a book manuscript, tentatively titled: "True to Size?: A Social History of Clothing Size Standards in the U.S. Fashion Industry."

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How does appearance affect our success? | University of Nevada, Reno

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Social science research shows that a person's physical appearance has a meaningful impact on their life experiences and opportunities, but the story is more complicated than people might expect. For the most part, attractive people enjoy a lot of perks.