G: Today's topic is Russia.

My partner Francesca and I will focus on economy, flora and fauna

and beauty standars.

To begin with our explanation, let's talk about Russian Economy. As in many developed
countries, the main economic activity in Russia is Industry, for example mining, energy,
manufacturing and building. It has a lot of natural resources such as gas, metals and raw oil,
which is its most important and the most exploited resource that Russia has.

Thanks to the raw oil, Russia is the eleventh richest country in the word. However, there is a
challenge to exploit this oil and it is the difficulty of of drilling the arctic zone, which is a very
thin layer of ice and that was caused by global warning.

To finish with this part, let me add that Russia has one of the best PBI of the world, so the jobs
are well paid.

F: Russia has a lot of own animals, such as The Snow Tiger, The Russian Desman, The
Golomyanka, Ross's Gull,the giant eagle,etc,beautiful and majestic animals, which
unfortunately(umfortnaly)some are in danger of extinction,for example,the Siberian (or Amur)
tiger, the Far Eastern (or Amur) leopard, the snow leopard, the green sturgeon, and the goral.

one of the main causes of its danger of extinction, that It's oil exploitation, my partner will
explain it.

G: Exactly! As you said, Francesca, you are right about the huge diversity of Russia, however
those animals are also endangered. For that reason, I’d like to focus on the challenges of this
animals.

As I mention before, the principal resource that is exploited in Russia is raw oil. But how this
resource is under the ice, when they try to extract it, it could be spilled. In other words, it
would affect the habitat of the animals that my partner mention before.

To protect these species, the state has applied some strategies such as the creation of
conservation parks.

F: You're right that animals must be protected,however , there are also many endemic species
of flora in danger of extinction, including the cattail, the Nasczokin lime, and the
Gymnostomum boreale.

Its main threat is the catastrophic forest fires that Russia suffers every year, affecting the
biodiversity of its forests.

as we see, both fauna and flora are in danger and must be protected.

Now,let’s talk about beauty standars

To begin with the topic,I'd like to say Russia remains a very patriarchal, body-conscious
country, where strict beauty standards and body shaming are a daily reality.

What does this mean?

It means that Outdated gender stereotypes and conservatism are prevalent in Russia.

for a woman to be considered good-looking she has to follow the following canons:
large and elongated eyes, mostly light blue or green, thin lips, white skin and blonde or brown
hair, they are usually tall and thin.

Although it is true that not all women look like this, this is the ideal to follow.

Women who deviate from this stereotype, whom are many in the Soviet country, often feel
pressured and unsure of themselves.

Let me add,Without going any further, in 2017 Putin established a new law that decriminalized
domestic violence if it did not cause damage to the health of the victim, therefore it was not
considered a crime,in other words,women are not protected in Russia.

so they are being affected every day by beauty standards that they can't reach.

Today feminism is reflected in the struggle and denunciation of Russian women against the
system and stereotypes both on social networks and in advertising campaigns. Proof of this are
the thousands of samples in which women challenge Russian machismo and spread their
pimples and cellulite to challenge beauty stereotypes that promote low self-esteem and eating
disorders

Another sign of acceptance to be as one really is, has been the disappearance of the stigma of
freckles.I mean, Many women had freckles and tried to camouflage them with makeup or
remove them with lasers,today they show their freckles pridely.

It is so that today, not only in Russia but throughout the world, it is promoted to show oneself
as one is, without fear of not fitting in or being rejected, a trend that is followed not only by
ordinary women but also by world- famous celebrities.

This, obviously, has nothing to do with not following a healthy lifestyle, having a gruten-free
diet, or exercising, since these will always bring a high-quality of life and appearance in
general.