Does anime promote unrealistic beauty standards?

Anime has become a global phenomenon, with millions of fans drawn to its vibrant visuals, compelling narratives, and rich emotional storytelling. But beyond the surface, a question lingers: Is anime subtly promoting unrealistic beauty standards?

It’s a difficult topic to unpack, especially because anime exists at the crossroads of fiction, fantasy, and stylized art. The genre thrives on exaggeration—oversized eyes, ultra-thin waists, spiky hair, gravity-defying physics. These elements aren’t necessarily intended to reflect real-life humans. However, when characters across dozens of series start to share the same traits—flawless skin, exaggerated body proportions, minimal body diversity—it’s worth asking whether these depictions begin to set subconscious standards for beauty.

For viewers growing up watching anime, especially younger audiences, these portrayals can become internalized. While anime may not be explicitly designed to promote certain beauty ideals, its repetitive visual cues and character archetypes can influence how fans perceive attractiveness, desirability, and even gender norms.

we’ll explore:

• The history of anime aesthetics and where the “look” comes from

• How beauty is portrayed across genres

• The impact on viewers’ self-perception and body image

• Counterexamples and evolving trends in 2025

• And finally, what the anime industry and fandom can do to encourage more inclusive representations.

The Origins of Anime’s “Ideal” Look

The exaggerated anime art style has deep roots, tracing back to early works like Astro Boy and evolving through titles like Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball. Influenced partly by Western cartoons and Disney animation, early anime characters were often designed with:

• Large eyes to convey emotion

• Small noses and mouths to enhance cuteness

• Slim bodies for aesthetic simplicity and movement

These traits became standard, and today they’re almost ubiquitous. Characters like Hinata Hyuga, Asuna Yuuki, and Mikasa Ackerman continue this trend: thin, youthful, big-eyed, often with minimal body variation.

Even male characters like Levi, Light Yagami, and Gojo Satoru conform to a different but equally stylized “ideal”: tall, slim, sharp-jawed, and smooth-skinned.

This design isn’t necessarily malicious—it’s stylized shorthand. But over time, it becomes a cultural norm in anime, influencing both how characters are drawn and how audiences perceive beauty.

Beauty Norms by Genre: The Good, The Bad, and the Absurd

Shoujo and Romance Anime:
These genres often emphasize beauty and emotional appeal. Characters like Tohru Honda, Sawako Kuronuma, and Kaori Miyazono are portrayed as demure, delicate, and conventionally attractive. Male leads are often “bishounen”—elegant, soft-featured, and idealized.

Shounen and Action Anime:
While male characters may vary in appearance, female characters in action shows frequently combine combat skills with sexualized aesthetics—think Nami, Yoruichi, Lucy Heartfilia, or Tsunade. Slim waists, large breasts, and revealing outfits dominate designs—even for powerful characters.

Fantasy and Sci-Fi:
Series like Sword Art Online, No Game No Life, or Kill la Kill lean heavily into idealized or hyper-sexualized portrayals, often under the guise of fanservice. These representations normalize unrealistic body proportions and clothing that serves visual pleasure more than logic or function.

Slice-of-Life and Drama:
Even in grounded series, characters like Violet Evergarden or Fruits Basket’s cast often conform to idealized beauty: smooth skin, thin frames, and conventional attractiveness that rarely varies between individuals.

Body Diversity: What’s Missing?

Perhaps the most glaring issue with anime’s beauty standards is the lack of body diversity. Most female characters are slender, regardless of their age, profession, or personality. Rarely do we see characters with:

• Muscular builds (unless it’s exaggerated for comedy)

• Fat or plus-size bodies (unless it’s used as a joke)

• Acne, scars, stretch marks, or visible disabilities (with exceptions framed as plot devices)

The same applies to male characters, though to a lesser extent. While shows like Dragon Ball Z feature bulky figures, these are stylized extremes—not relatable or inclusive depictions of everyday bodies.

Anime rarely makes room for average-looking people. This scarcity reinforces the notion that beauty is narrow and tightly defined: young, thin, symmetrical, and often Western-influenced.

Impact on Audiences: Fiction or Filter?

While many fans argue that anime is just escapism, that doesn’t shield it from criticism. Media shapes perception, especially when consumed from a young age.

Some potential impacts:

• Self-esteem issues among fans who don’t match the “anime aesthetic”

• Beauty comparison to fictional characters, despite the medium being fantasy

• Reinforcement of gender stereotypes, especially in female passivity or sexual availability

• Normalization of infantilized or fetishized features (e.g., large eyes, small mouths, petite bodies)

These influences are subtle, but persistent. When anime only depicts a certain kind of beauty, it implies that anything outside of it is abnormal—or worse, unattractive.

Are Things Changing in 2025?

Yes—but slowly.

Recent years have seen some progress in representing more body types and beauty standards:

• Powerful female characters like Nobara Kugisaki or Maki Zenin balance combat ability with non-sexualized designs.

• Shows like Mob Psycho 100 and Great Pretender feature more diverse facial structures and character builds.

• Slice-of-life anime like March Comes in Like a Lion portray mental health and emotional depth with realism and nuance.

We’re also seeing more non-binary and gender-diverse character depictions, though still rare. Shows like Wonder Egg Priority or BNA experiment with identity and physical form in meaningful ways.

Still, hypersexualized and idealized beauty remains dominant, especially in commercially successful series.

What Can Be Done?

If anime is to become more inclusive and self-aware, both creators and audiences have roles to play:

For Creators:

• Design characters with realistic diversity in body type, skin tone, and features

• Avoid reducing female strength to visual appeal

• Write arcs that value internal growth over external beauty

For Fans:

• Celebrate series that break away from norms (e.g., Beastars, A Silent Voice, Mob Psycho 100)

• Call out unhealthy tropes and beauty bias in discussions

• Share, review, and uplift works that promote diverse beauty

Conclusion

Anime is a medium built on stylization, imagination, and emotional depth. But even within fantasy, the representations we see—especially those repeated again and again—can quietly shape our views on beauty and worth.

So, does anime promote unrealistic beauty standards? Yes, in many ways. But it also has the power to challenge them.

By broadening character designs and deepening how beauty is portrayed, anime can move toward a future where every face, every body, and every identity is welcome—not just the impossibly flawless.