The Wildly Different Nordic Beauty Standards
And why would moms around the world feel better adopting them?
Hi friends! As the stunning seaside Helsinki has turned into a city fallen under the gray, dark, wet November gloom (I was forewarned how “soul-crushing” this month can be as by the end of the month there’s only 6 hours of daylight and there can be days or weeks with no visible sunlight), it’s the perfect time to lighten and brighten things up a bit and talk about beauty. Nordic beauty, that is.
So, no matter how gloomy the weather is, the Nordic women still seemed to have kept their glow. Or—is it just how I see things, considering I have now lived in Finland for almost four months, immersed in dramatically different beauty standards that in the US?
Here are 3 Scandinavian standards that have started to change what I consider beautiful, how I see others, and how I see myself—standards that I consider holding onto, no matter where we’ll live next.
A few women commented on my Instagram that being outdoors more, no matter the weather, is partly responsible for Nordic glowing skin. Rosy cheeks do result, but ultra-hydrating skincare routines are necessary too.
Nordic Women Show off Skin and Skip Makeup
One of the first things I noticed when moving here, was not just how put-together the women looked, but also how makeup was not part of it. Sporting a chic, yet easy-going and functional style, the Helsinki women literally wore almost no makeup.
To me, this felt so bold and so confident.
It quickly became apparent that the moms I see at daycare drop off, at a school event, passed by on the street, sat next to in cafes or met for coffee, simply don’t feel like applying much makeup is a good use of their time or needed. The focus, instead, is on good—albeit quick—skincare routines and just “showing off” their skin.
When I quizzed my Nordic followers on Instagram, on why they don’t wear makeup, or if the au natural look is a current Nordic trend, the answers were unanimous:
“laziness” (said tongue-in-cheek: makeup just isn’t considered a priority)
“less is more” beauty standard
Finnish Magazines Go Real and Skip Retouching
After living in the US for a while—and working in women’s magazines (I worked at both Conde Nast and Hearst), absolutely loving them, I couldn’t understand why the Finnish magazines still hadn’t started retouching people’s images. I mean, why would anyone want to look so real if they could look better! While the American women got to look so glamorous and perfect, the Finnish women had to, well, look just like they did when flattened into a 2D image and—especially if it wasn’t a beauty story—without the best beauty lighting. To my younger self, enamored with the beauty and fashion worlds of the United States, that almost felt tragic.
Now I see things a bit differently. It still slightly shocks me how real everyone looks in the Finnish women’s magazines—all of which I buy every month now that I have a chance to get them—but constantly seeing people of all shapes and sizes and looks has begun to subconsciously and consciously shape, again, how I view others and how I view myself.
The retouched magazine images and ads, and most Instagram filters have started to look more and more fake, and I have started to crave seeing the real people behind them. The real images have started to look more and more interesting, and approachable. When I looked into the mirror, feeling especially tired looking, my inner talk has turned kinder —and when I feel great, no matter if I have makeup on or not, it’s much more complimentary: “hey, looking pretty good!”
Norway’s New Photo Edit Law: Disclose Filters or Get Fined
In the summer of 2021, Norway passed a law I hadn’t heard of until now: all ads and sponsored posts with any photo editing or a filter must be marked with a label created by the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. If you don’t, you get fined.
The law was created to specifically protect the youth who are easily influenced by the unattainable beauty standards on social—because they are edited and not real—and who are most vulnerable to the consequences of increasing mental health and body image issues.
But no one—not even grown-up women—are immune to these edited and filtered posts. I always remember when I first started on Instagram right after I had my first child, and was—believe it or not—aghast at how other moms’ could have such picture-perfect lives, when mine looked nothing like it. For a little while, I felt like I was failing in my motherhood somehow, not being able to create that type of existence, until I realized most of them were staged moments, even when the captions implied they were “just real life”. And that was before the arrival of the face and body modifying filters.
In my opinion, what Norway’s law is ultimately after, is protecting the Nordic beauty standards from global influences. Because social media is a space where fact and fiction are so blurry, knowing how images or videos are altered allows us to appreciate the content without comparing ourselves to an impossible standard, and instead boldly and confidently appreciating our real selves.
Norwegian influencer Janka Polliani played a significant role in lobbying for the new photo edit law alongside Kjell Ingolf Ropstad, Norway’s former Minister of Children and Families. It passed in Norwegian parliament after a vote of 72 to 15.
The Secret to Nordic Beauty
A Finnish parenting magazine recently interviewed me and asked if American women have more pressure to keep looking youthful so their husbands don’t swap to a younger wife. While this was of course more of a tongue-in-cheek question, it deserves a proper answer. While I don’t think American men in general only value youthful looks in a life partner, I do think there’s pressure to look youthful from not just social media, but also in social circles. Botox, for example, is much more commonly used in the Unites States—and in much larger doses—than in Scandinavia. Every time I have seen a dermatologist, I have been recommended Botox, which I have politely refused each time. If “everyone” does it, do it want to be the only one who doesn’t?
Me, interviewed about Nordic vs American parenting and motherhood lifestyles in Finnish KaksPlus magazine.
I personally cling to not just my bangs (who needs Botox on the forehead when you can have bangs!), but also to the idea that I can hold onto somewhat youthful looks with a Nordic lifestyle of clean water, clean food, lots of time outdoors, lots of movement and exercise, enough rest and a balanced life (which I plan to take with me anywhere I go), as well as with a focus on great skincare, and, what the Nordic women seem to do so well, learning to feel as confident as they do.
On my Instagram, I threw out the cheeky question to Scandinavian women who follow me: “Tell me your secret. Why do you really look so good”? To which everyone who answered said (in Finnish):
It’s called confidence.
Now, what do you think of Norway’s law?
Are photo editing and filters a gift for the tired moms who still want to appear on social (I certainly sometimes think so!) or do you think we would be better off embracing the “real look” everywhere, or at least mentioning when we alter things?
Then, share this with friends & social circle who would love a less-hassle beauty approach, and who would love to know about Nordic laws on helping you feel better about you!
xx Annabella
Come say hello on Instagram; find me at @annabelladaily