Beauty And Mental Health — Interview w/ Boris Mackey, Addiction Therapist
Boris Mackey is the Editor-in-Chief and Community Outreach Manager at Rehab 4 Addiction, a UK based rehabilitation advocacy and referral service. He has more than twenty years of experence in the field of mental health and is currently working as an addiction therapist, helpling to assist people in the alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation process. Boris graduated from Sheffield University in 1992 and worked as a regional journalist for many years. However, in 2000, Boris developed alcohol-use disorder and decided to halt his journalism career. After this, he entered treatment, 12-step groups and has been sober ever since. With a complete change of career he has dedicated the last twenty years to working in the field of addiction, helping others into recovery.
What is the role of beauty in life?
Beauty plays a very important part in all of our lives, whether we realise it or not. It is often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that it is also a societal construct. Beauty means various things to people all over the world. Whilst it can cause feelings of low-self esteem due to high expecations and pressure from the media to look a certain way, in the right light it can also be viewed as a form of self-care, allowing us to take pride in our own beauty both inside and out.
What are common misconceptions about beauty today?
I believe common misconceptions about beauty today are that we need to look a certain way. With social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram announcing new trends and filters, it creates an unreachable goal of beauty that no one can achieve. I believe another misonception is that beauty looks like one specific thing and we must therefore conform to it. Beauty has different definitions to everyone and whether people do this, for example, by wearing makeup or choosing not to wear makeup, I think all forms and variations should be appreciated.
How does a child perceive beauty?
Children often perceive beauty in relation to the world, rather than appearance. They see beauty within the gift of life and nature. Of course, each child is different, but having a mind free from the understandings and pressures of beauty standards allows them to live free from expectation in relation to how they should look, which is often many adult’s definition of beauty.
How can beauty/self-care practices empower mental health? Please give an example.
Beauty and self-care practices can empower mental health in a variety of ways but I believe the most important is by doing these things for yourself and no one else. If doing activities such as getting your hair/nails done by a professional makes you feel happier, then continue to do so. For others, self-care may take the form of reading a favourite book, playing a video game, or having a soak in the bath. I think it is important people realise that you don’t necessarily need to spend money to indulge in self-care. Making time for yourself in a way you enjoy can help boost your mental wellbeing.
How can beauty standards affect mental health?
Beauty standards can affect mental health through constructing unachievable goals that people, especially women should adhere to.
What is a healthy way to approach beauty?
A healthy way to approach beauty is by viewing each person as an indiviual and therefore beautiful in their own way. Once we begin to shed these ideas that beauty looks a certain way, can we begin to enjoy our own beauty and life a lot more.
What are trends in beauty that you find healthy, which are trends that are unhealthy?
Things such as the body-positivity movement are trends that I find healthy as they exemplify my point touched on in the previous question, that beauty should be seen as unique to each individual. We should celebrate the things that make us special and unique instead of trying to look a certain way. Trends which I believe are unhealthy are the excessive amount of beauty filters that completely change the way a person looks. Whilst these can seem fun and harmless, so many people now rely on filters when using social media and feel extremely insecure about their own natural appearance.
What needs to change to create a healthier image of beauty?
Something that I believe needs to change to create a healthier image of beauty is expectation. Expectation to look a certain way is damaging the mental health of people all around the globe and damaging what it means to truly be beautiful.
What do you wish people knew about beauty?
That it most certainly is in the eye of the beholder. I do not believe social media platforms, especially ones mostly used by young people, should be determining what beauty is. It should be appreciated past our appearance and seen in all aspects of our life.
THANK YOU!
Demee Koch about the MEDIUM interview series on Beauty And Mental Health:
Hello! I am a serial entrepreneur with more than 2 decades of experience in the health & beauty industry. This interview series is about the effects of beauty, self-care and the beauty industry on mental health.
For me, beauty is a way to love — it is about self-care, art, nutrition, exercise, life, self-love. With this interview series, I invite experts to become part of a movement that re-defines beauty with its trends, standards and practices. Let’s empower beautiful minds.
Thank you for being the change. I’m looking forward to learn from each one of you. Reach out to me via LinkedIn.
Demee ❤︎
