LA woman links colorblindness to her beauty standards theory

It’s rare for original thoughts to crop up on TikTok, but Sarah Schauer (@sarahschauer) from Los Angeles, California, came up with a beauty standards theory that caught her gasping on camera. Upon reading the book The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair, Schauer thought that there may be a link to colorblindness and the perception of beauty.

Schauer explained in her post that one in twelve men are colorblind, whereas one in two hundred women are colorblind. While most colorblind people can’t join the military, because different sides wore corresponding colors. But there was an exemption made during World War II and the Vietnam War.

She said that colorblind people “aren’t focusing on the color element. They’re focusing on texture, structure, and shape.” How does this relate to beauty standards? Schauer talked about what men often dislike about women’s bodies and how these attributes often correspond with texture.

“All the things that guys don’t like about women’s bodies—cellulite, acne, razor bumps, hair, stretch marks… They’re picking up on the texture.” Men don’t like cakey makeup because of its heavy texture, Schauer theorized. There is also a preference for “smoothness” in women, which, again, alludes to texture.

“Why are women in their twenties and thirties past their prime?” Schauer thought that it had to do with “dullness” in the skin. As people age, their skin color changes, and the color becomes “flatter.” Like the other points mentioned by Schauer, the beauty standard ties back to texture.

She concluded, “Are beauty standards the random ones? Because one in twelve men is colorblind?” It’s definitely not a popular, regurgitated online theory—Schauer herself was surprised by her own words.

Is she cooking, or is this just another TikTok theory?

One social media user wrote, “This is peak pattern recognition.”

There was also a discussion in the comments led by women who received texture-based compliments from their partners. Another commenter wrote, “My husband is an artist, and has zero issues with my aging “texture”. You are onto something!”

Another reads, “The most recurrent compliment my boyfriend gives me is that I’m soft.”

It seems that social media is on Schauer’s side. Many more talked about how refreshing it is to find an “original” thought on TikTok.

But one trait that Sarah hasn’t mentioned but is often seen as undesirable is wrinkles. They’re the ultimate indicator that somebody’s no longer youthful. While they do come with age, it’s almost as if women are expected to age without them. A prime case of this is Beyonce, who had recently been shamed for having visibly noticeable wrinkles on her face.

Not too long ago, social media had been brutal with Rihanna, who was being compared with Tyla at the Met Gala. A main point of comparison had been their weight, with Tyla being noticeably smaller. It shouldn’t matter since Rihanna has three children at this point—bodies change. But this seemed to be a point of contention for social media users, as if her body downplays her beauty. This, too, is texture related—women gaining thickness is a textured perception of beauty.

While Sarah’s thoughts on beauty standards are just another TikTok theory for now, she could definitely dig deeper. Regardless, beauty is seen through different perspectives—nobody should be limited in viewing it one way.

(featured image: Sarah Schauer)

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