There are even apps now that can compare users to celebrities while others show what users would look like with smoother skin, with narrower chins, with longer eyelashes, and even smaller noses in order to look more attractive.
AFN did a related story on this in late September 2025, and Fox New Channel drew attention to these beauty rating apps on a segment of “Fox & Friends.” Dr. Katherine Kuhlman, a clinical psychologist, was one of the speakers on the show.
“Obviously, this is incredibly sad. Unrealistic beauty standards have been around for a very long time, but the exposure and the intensity of that exposure has increased,” said Kuhlman.
Maggie McKneely, legislative strategist for Concerned Women for America, says this can be very damaging, especially to girls.
So, what's a parent to do?
"First, remind her that she is beautiful," McKneely tells AFN. "Regardless of what other people are telling her, regardless of what she's seeing in popular culture or social media, mind her that she is beautiful. She was created by God to be exactly who she is with the facial structure and the hair color. That's who God made her to be, and that is beautiful."
McKneely says that she would also tell girls that "we are so much more than our appearance." For example, McKneely said "we have our personalities, our talents, our skills," and other things that only we can do.
"There's so much more to us than just our looks and I would remind her of that," states McKneely. "I would also remind her that she has friends and family who love her exactly who she is right now and who want the best for her and are cheering her on and developing her future and her character and so I would just remind her of all of those things."
