Fascism thrives on women's self-doubt

There is an unspoken equation at play in the world right now, a silent yet powerful force shaping the choices that women make, the politics they adopt, the aesthetics they embrace. It is the calculation of survival in a system that rewards compliance and punishes deviation. It is the creeping shadow of fascism, curling its way into the feminine psyche, whispering that safety lies in submission, that power can be borrowed but never truly owned.

Look at the landscape: the rise of authoritarianism is simply not a political shift. It is a cultural one. Women are growing more conservative, not just in their voting patterns but in their self-presentation, their values, their aspirations. This is not accidental. Fascism thrives on hierarchy, and the easiest way to uphold a hierarchy is to make people believe they are choosing it.

And what is the easiest way to make women choose? Beauty.

The more a women adheres to traditional beauty standards, the closer she aligns herself with the visual and ideological parameters of fascism. Not because beauty itself is fascist, but because fascism relies on rigid order, on a world where there is a “right” kind of woman and a “wrong” kind. The closer one gets to the ideal— thin but not too thin, light or white-adjacent, feminine but not aggressive, sexual but not threatening— the less resistance one encounters.

For women, beauty is a project without end. The moment you think you’ve reached the standard, the standard shifts. Thin isn’t enough— you must also be toned. Toned isn’t enough— you must also be soft. Soft isn’t enough— you must also be youthful. Youthful isn’t enough— you must also be effortless. To be beautiful in a fascist framework is to be validated. To be validated is to be safe. This is why, as fascist ideologies gain ground, women instinctively begin to self-correct. They soften their voices, refine their looks, move toward the aesthetics of acceptability— subdued refinement, elegance, and a particular kind of “natural perfection” that is anything but natural. Not all do so consciously, but the undercurrent is clear: the less you disrupt, the more you are allowed to exist without challenge.

This is a commodification of self, where a woman’s self-worth becomes a measure of adherence to an ever-evolving set of standards. There’s an undercurrent that suggests if you can’t keep up, if you can’t be beautiful, healthy or productive enough, you’re not worthy of anything. This is where the connection to fascism becomes apparent. It encourages a culture of surveillance, where every action, every detail of your life is scrutinized. It places emphasis on the necessity of looking more polished and put together.

We have this idea that fascism arrives in combat boots and military parades. Sometimes, it moves quietly through beauty trends and wellness culture. It thrives not through overt force, but through suggestion, through aspiration, through the whisper that you could be better. Fascism operates by distilling a set of ideals that everyone must conform to. It reduces the complexity of humanity into neat, digestible boxes of worth. Look at the way beauty functions today. Take the “clean girl” aesthetic for example, it’s not just a look, but a performance of orderliness, restraint and quiet femininity. The slick-back hair, the minimal makeup, the neutral tones— an aesthetic that whispers: I take up space politely. And the way that this idea is connected to the belief that conventionally attractive women are often assumed to be more competent, kinder, and more trustworthy— a longstanding bias that authoritarian systems exploit. We are in an era where you are expected to constantly perform. To optimize every aspect of your existence. It is no longer enough to simply be— you must be more. And if you can mold yourself into the ideal image, you can avoid scrutiny.

Fascism does not merely enforce beauty; it enforces the idea that beauty is proof of righteousness. A woman who is conventionally attractive, who embraces motherhood, who aligns herself with tradition is seen as authoritative simply because she represents what the system values. She does not have to argue for her right to be here, her existence is already in compliance. This is why there is always a renewed emphasis on traditional femininity. The emphasis on elegance, modesty and sophistication reflects an underlying desire for order, predictability and hierarchy. It is not just a matter of taste; it is a means of control. The women who adopt conservative aesthetics and values are granted conditional power— the power to police other women, to act as enforcers of the hierarchy, to feel safe in their compliance. And compliance, as always, is rewarded with less scrutiny.

Fascism does not need to tell women to submit. It simply creates conditions where submission looks like self-improvement. And so, beauty is transformed into duty. Thinness becomes discipline. Grooming becomes morality. Aging becomes failure. We have been told that beauty is a personal pursuit, a harmless aspiration, a choice. But when an entire society is structured around the relentless demand for women to strive toward an ever-moving standard, it ceases to be a choice at all. Beauty has never just been about attractiveness. It has always been about legitimacy. About who is allowed to take up space without hesitation. About who gets to be seen, who gets to be heard, and who is forced to shrink themselves in the hopes of being accepted. About who is granted ease, protection, desirability, and ultimately, humanity.

But there is no safety in a system that demands you to be in a constant state of thriving. The standards will always shift. Beauty in fascist structures is about control, and nothing is more controlled than the demand for thinness and physical ability. Fascism rejects bodies that are seen as “undisciplined” or “unproductive”. But what is the nature of this reward?

Because the truth is, the more perfectly a woman conforms, the less she disrupts. And the less she disrupts, the less she is questioned. The less she is seen as a threat. Beauty is a form of social currency, but it is also a leash. It is what keeps women obedient— always working, always striving, always seeking validation from a system that will never fully grant it. And this is why fascism, in all its forms, thrives on female insecurity. It does not need to police women directly when it has already convinced them to police themselves.