Innovations in the beauty space can be positively transformative. However, the product-forward nature can cause the industry to rear its ugly head. The beauty space has thrived on insecurity-fueled consumerism since its inception. Holy grail products promising the elixir of youth amongst other coveted remedies keep customers on the lookout for the next best product.
With new innovation comes new solutions, and, oftentimes, new problems that had not been considered before. New insecurities, whether manufactured by cosmetic innovation or by personal anecdotes expressed on social timelines, make it difficult to keep up with evolving beauty standards.
Media at large has exposed me to insecurities I didn’t even know existed before. ‘Should I be worried about that? Is that even a thing?’ These are a few of the questions that populate my mind and, no doubt, the minds of countless others as we run into new information across our feeds.
When the hip dip hysteria first bubbled to the surface it took a while to understand. Is this not just how bones are structured? Then came the dozens of exploitative workout routines and quick fix remedies to address this new focus. Not to mention, children barely knocking on adolescence’s doors are reaching for 12-step skincare routines including retinol and age-defying products before they have a chance to hit puberty.
One of the newer, more involved routines circulating the apps this year is the “go to sleep ugly, wake up pretty” trend. Here, people engage in extensive nighttime rituals including binding their faces and applying an assortment of treatment masks. This “morning shed” practice, as it is often called, aims to help achieve optimal face contouring, glowy skin, and anti-aging results to satisfy facial beauty standards. Personally, I am a big fan of effective and preventative habits, but some complicated beauty routines beg the question: Does all of this promote self confidence and beauty overtime or does it exacerbate the opposite?
The first time I came across a multi-step hand care routine—meant to minimize lines and promote the unending yearn towards youth—I was catapulted to my primary school fixation on the appearance of my hands, brought on by classmates’ racially-motivated comments. This may be a niche focus, but the commentary about Black women and girls’ hands possessing more visible texture compared to nonBlack counterparts always stuck with me. Seeing a detailed skin care routine for our most used appendages had me contemplating whether I should incorporate yet another routine into my beauty practice.
The oversaturated nature of social media causes trends to circulate at the speed of light, creating a never-ending revolving door of products and remedies, all promising to make obsolete the methods that came before. New products become more granular about target areas, and bathroom counters lose space to accommodate products addressing each individual inch of our bodies. The convenient yet inundating presence of Tiktok Shop, inescapable ads, and unending online discourse have all primed the industry to convert today’s insecurities into more profits.
Where do we go from here? In a time where strategic advertising and narratives in a vacuum flood the digital space we find ourselves in, it is all the more important to do due diligence about these products and interrogate where this perceived need for them is coming from. If we find ourselves fixating on something that would have never received a second thought before, we need to unplug from the echo chamber and ground ourselves in the knowledge that beauty is meant to enhance from within and communicate individuality. The moment beauty practices teeter into poke and prod sessions as opposed to self-care, it is time to reassess our habits and shut out the noise.
