Although I like to think of myself as someone who rebels against the notions of traditional beauty standards, lately I have been doubting my own ideologies. For most women in a society that judges every facet of our existence, beauty is inherently political. And for Black women, beauty is especially an act of survival. But as we mold ourselves to endure in society, we end up hurting, or worse, killing ourselves with dangerous beauty practices. If your hair is expected to always be silky-straight, then you will need something to chemically keep it that way. Never mind that these products, like hair relaxers, are harmful, painful, and costly. Similarly, when the curvy beauty standards extols thin women who are shapely in all the so-called right places, like the breasts and hips, then women adopt dangerous diets, over-exercise, wear confining fajas, or go under the knife to achieve this ideal.