Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter known for her nature-inspired self portraits, always depicted herself with a thick, bushy, and almost exaggerated unibrow. She went against the grain of beauty standards that were forced onto women in the 1900s. Frida Kahlo was largely dismissed as a painter during her lifetime, but now she is one of the most celebrated artists of all time and a huge inspiration within the Mexican community.

Similarly, Marylin Monroe in America and Josephine Baker in France made an impact on society by defying typical beauty standards. Marylin Monroe became the second woman in US history to own her own film production company, all while staying true to the look that she wanted to project despite how her producers tried to influence her. Like Monroe, Josephine Baker was criticized for dressing in a way that was perceived as too revealing; Baker, however, was also forced to fight against the racism and segregation in her industry. As one of few Black actresses, Baker faced many challenges regarding how she wanted to express herself. Despite this, she managed to become the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture.

In modern society, more people want to go against the norm and pioneer a new style. This stems from changes in education and social culture that emphasize dissenters from traditional beauty standards, for example, by studying Frida Kahlo in Spanish class and Marilyn Monroe in US history classes. Monroe’s defiance is now credited with creating a revolution in female sexuality, while Baker is now called the “Queen of Glamour” and was declared a French national hero after her passing. Instead of painting these people in a negative light, they are starting to be remembered as people who started a revolution.

Using social media, information about different styles can easily be spread. Ideas can be acquired and innovation can be built from these ideas. Social media has birthed many exotic trends that have even impacted influential figures within today’s society. Bigger trends like the shaved eyebrow look have made their way into the modeling industry; models like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid rock shaved eyebrows on the runway and red carpet. Celebrities like Demi Lovato and Saweetie shaved their heads as a statement on beauty, proving that hair is not a crucial feature of femininity. Even microtrends like “Crying Girl Makeup,” where a person uses makeup to make it look like they are crying, can create spaces in the makeup industry where people can find unique ways to express themselves and interpret beauty.

Although expressing beauty in new ways is encouraged, progress still needs to be made. Challenges like those faced by Kahlo, Monroe, and Baker are still seen today: on social media, it is easier to bully others for having a different sense of physical expression. In fact, since social media has become popular, depression rates have increased by 33% according to the Child Mind Institute. Social media makes it easy to draw comparisons between people’s physical appearances. With all these factors combined, the creativity inside an individual can easily be killed. This can cause marginalized groups as a whole to change and become afraid to try new forms of expression because of this treatment.

It is human nature to care about looks. Living in a society where there is a large desire to be physically attractive, a growing emphasis on different versions of beauty creates a potential for a beauty standard that can extend to all people instead of just one particular group. People from different cultures, religions, and backgrounds have opportunities to see themselves as beautiful no matter how they would like to express that inner beauty. At first, it might seem like people are weird for wanting to look like they’re crying or that others are reckless for shaving their eyebrows. However, physical expression, even in its exotic forms, is what makes a person memorable. So instead of judging, use them as inspiration to do crazy makeup, or wear 20-foot-long lashes, or even dye your eyebrows pink. Let go of the fear of judgment, choose to be a “dissenter,” unapologetically utilize your appearance to showcase who you are.