Unfortunately, I have a bit of an issue with scrolling on social media. It is something that has become a not-so-good habit that I need to break. However, the good part is that it keeps me informed about a lot of different things, such as how the beauty industry keeps trying to profit off people’s insecurities. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are lots of good products out there, and I myself am a skincare girlie, but to some extent, I feel as though brands just keep making products as fixes to insecurities that people, and specifically women, didn’t even know to be insecure of. One prime example of this that I’ve seen recently is how there are now sprays that show you how much facial hair you have, which can help you navigate shaving it. The idea, in theory, isn’t bad, but this wasn’t something most women were initially insecure about. I’ve seen countless TikToks of women content creators buying such a product, spraying it on their faces, and being shocked at the amount of completely natural peach fuzz their faces have. Following this, they shave their face. Again, there’s nothing wrong with shaving your face if that is something you choose to do, but in this case, it wasn’t even something that women thought of doing on their own. This is an insecurity that was quite literally manufactured, and that is what I take great issue with. On a broader scale, this proves that beauty standards are becoming more and more unrealistic, but to be fair, were they ever realistic?
I have read countless stories about how people, specifically women, indulged in harmful practices just to attain a societal standard of beauty, and our generation is no exception. The past had women wearing corsets to give off the illusion that they had a small waist, and the present currently has people editing their photos to achieve a desired figure. The issue with both situations is that it breeds a standard that does not exist and forces people, specifically women, to dislike their natural bodies for something that isn’t even real. This can lead to self-esteem and body image issues and, in some cases, more extreme behaviors such as triggering eating disorders. This is when all the for-profits come in and try to take advantage of the situation by selling supposed fixes. Yes, some products and services can be beneficial, but many of them are probably not.
While I have talked about the negatives of our generation’s standards of beauty, I do want to end on a positive note and state that there are some things that I believe are revolutionary to the standards of beauty and should be discussed:
- Wide Varieties of Bodies on Screen: Given the age of social media and how easy and accessible it has become to have a platform, it is refreshing to see people of different body types on screen. It is more representative of people and showcases what normal bodies look like.
- Diversity: Since we are a global society, it has been nice to see more diversity within the beauty industry with brands focusing more on inclusivity than ever before. It is also good to see how different products work differently for different people allowing you to get a better understanding of how it could work for you.
- Better Acceptance of Individualism: Previously, it used to be that you had to follow the norm to be accepted in society, and while that is still true to some extent, the focus on individualism has made it so that people can follow what they want. This especially applies to the beauty industry as it is a lot easier now socially to dress how you want, to do your makeup how you want if that is something you want to do, and ultimately be true to yourself.
