Why Your "Historical" Aesthetic Is Making You Miserable

Why are so many of us drawn to “historical” beauty—and why does it so often leave us feeling worse about ourselves?

From Bridgerton-inspired filters to AI-generated Regency portraits, romanticized visions of the past are everywhere online. These soft, painterly aesthetics feel timeless, elegant, and comforting. They promise a gentler version of beauty—one without harsh lighting, hyper-definition, or modern scrutiny. But beneath the nostalgia is something far more unsettling: a beauty standard that never actually existed. A past that’s been filtered, edited, and rewritten. And a growing sense that our real faces don’t quite measure up.

In this video essay, we explore how our obsession with “historical” looks is quietly reshaping modern beauty standards and fueling a new kind of digital dysmorphia—one rooted not in futuristic perfection, but in a romanticized fantasy of the past. We’ll look at how period-piece aesthetics, AI portraits, and nostalgic filters distort our self-perception, flatten historical reality, and encourage us to compare ourselves to mythological versions of femininity that no one—past or present—could ever live up to.

This isn’t a rejection of beauty, art, or nostalgia. It’s an invitation to slow down and question what we’re really longing for when we reach for these aesthetics. Is it history? Is it elegance? Or is it the promise of a self that feels easier to love when softened, idealized, and removed from the present?

If you’ve ever felt more beautiful through a filter than in the mirror, you’re not alone. And this conversation matters more than we realize.

🕯️ Watch slowly, reflect gently, and let me know in the comments:
What aesthetic have you found yourself comparing to lately—and how does it make you feel?

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