A new study has warned that the proliferation of Gaia World terraforming is creating “unrealistic and damaging beauty standards” for young planets.

The report, published this week in the Reddit Journal of Peer Reviewed Science, found that over 80% of developing Class-M planets now feel “inadequate” when compared to lush, geologically engineered peers.

“Impressionable molten-core planets are bombarded with images of flawless Gaia Worlds boasting temperate climates and tectonic symmetry,” engineer Varr’Ruk told Xenonion. “This is being internalized as a standard, to the point where perfectly natural tile-blockers are now considered shameful.”

Pro-terraforming factions have criticized the report, stating Gaia Worlds are “aspirational, not mandatory,” with a spokes-xeno stating that any planet can “easily achieve perfection” with “just a few hundred years, several trillion energy credits and the complete erasure of their native biosphere.”

“It’s completely unacceptable,” Var’Rukk continued. “How would you feel if someone labelled you ‘60% habitable’ instead of ‘gorgeous’?”

Viral posts on social media have emerged encouraging young planets to embrace their natural features. One post on Instagram showed a picture of an arid planet captioned: “I may not be 100% habitable, but I am 100% enough #LoveYourCrust.”

The Galactic Senate is currently considering a proposal which would see imagery of beautiful planets labelled with mandatory disclaimers clarifying that results may have been achieved by artificial terraforming.