Speaking as a major dental hygiene enthusiast…

Great-looking teeth come from two things: luck and money (which is also a function of luck).

Dental procedures tend to be very, very expensive, and are almost never covered by insurance.

Healthy teeth aren’t necessarily big, straight or bright white. Depending on what someone’s natural teeth are like, achieving that look may require a significant downgrade in their dental health; unnecessary crowns and veneers cause damage.

Do not underestimate genetics’ role in determining teeth’s appearance, or how prone teeth are to problems. Genes and early development, i.e. things people get zero control over, can outweigh all else.

A wide range of chronic conditions impact oral health and teeth’s appearance, too, and may contraindicate various types of work or raise procedures’ cost even more.

Finally, for many people and many reasons, celebrity-looking teeth just aren’t a priority (even when they’re attainable; some people might want, y’know, a new car instead).

The new H&M campaign, #Ladylike, offers a seemingly freeing premise:

“’Ladylike [ˈleɪdɪlʌɪk]: Appropriate for or typical of a well-bred, decorous woman or girl.’

According to H&M, the dictionary definition of the term ladylike is both old and outdated. This month, the brand introduces a new set of words to define what proper ladylike behaviour could be; bad-ass, independent, free-willed, entertaining, opinionated and off-beat.”

DON’T LET THIS APPROPRIATION OF FEMINISM FOOL YOU!

H&M is commodifying our activism and selling it back to us in the form of clothing, but the company’s actions speak louder than their advertising.

They actively:

Fire women for being pregnant

Refuse to sell clothing above size 12 in most stores

“Employ” child refugees without pay

Fire factory workers who can’t/won’t work excessive overtime hours (for which they are not compensated as such anyway)

Permit sexual harassment and exploitation in the workplace

H&M doesn’t care about your feminism. They care about their profit.