![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/i-was-mocked-for-my-facial-hair-as-a-teen/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/0_EXCL-I-was-mocked-for-my-facial-hair-as-a-teen-but-beauty-standards-are-changing.jpg&description=Make-up artist Nikki Patel was mocked for her upper lip hair growing up, but now she's using her platform to let young girls in the South Asian community know that facial hair isn't a taboo Cultural standards and expectations have long shaped traditional notions of beauty and what it means to be beautiful in different communities. Growing up, many South Asian women were made to believe that body hair and darker skin weren't attractive while a hairless face and fair complexion were seen as far more in fashion. But with a new wave of diverse influencers battling ingrained stereotypes online and challenging what it means to be valued in society, beauty ideals are changing. As Nikki Patel puts it: "South Asians are more seen now than ever before". This South Asian Heritage Month, she opens up about how modern-day norms are evolving. You might recognise Nikki as the semi-finalist in BBC's Glow Up Season One, the popular talent show that finds Britain's next make-up star. Since competing in 2019, Nikki has gone on to work professionally in the field as a Hindu make-up artist, and now has over one million followers on Instagram and TikTok (@nikkissecretx). While it's not unusual for her to post videos threading her facial hair and sharing hacks to remove thick upper lip and chin stubble, body hair wasn't always a topic Nikki felt comfortable discussing. Talking about being ridiculed by peers during her early teens, Nikki told the Mirror: "I was mocked for my facial hair, especially my upper lip hair." Nikki was cruelly teased for something she had no control over and felt as though she had to remove her facial hair to feel more comfortable and accepted in society. Having hair-free skin is just one traditional beauty standard that is commonly perceived to be aspirational within South Asian culture - while lighter, fairer skin is another. "Lighter skin is definitely still valued more within the Asian community. The fairer you are, the more beautiful you are," Nikki explained){kind=link}
Make-up artist Nikki Patel was mocked for her upper lip hair growing up, but now she’s using her platform to let young girls in the South Asian community know that facial hair isn’t a taboo
Cultural standards and expectations have long shaped traditional notions of beauty and what it means to be beautiful in different communities.
Growing up, many South Asian women were made to believe that body hair and darker skin weren’t attractive while a hairless face and fair complexion were seen as far more in fashion.
But with a new wave of diverse influencers battling ingrained stereotypes online and challenging what it means to be valued in society, beauty ideals are changing.
As Nikki Patel puts it: “South Asians are more seen now than ever before”. This South Asian Heritage Month, she opens up about how modern-day norms are evolving.