Be An "Ugly" Trend Setter

Photo by Liz Breygel on Unsplash

Although my bias of the beauty industry is obvious in that I am an active supporter and lover of all things makeup. It does not mean I do not recognize the flaws of the industry. All industries have controversy, the difference is that the beauty industry is special for profiting off insecurity and the notion of never being “enough”. Despite the truth in this, the beauty industry is also empowering.

Look Good Feel Good (apparently)

For starters, the notion of always improving oneself and maintaining self-care has been over complicated to maintain business. In doing so, marketing tactics that target this "growth" is constantly used. Suffer from dark spots? No worries, there is a product for that. How about that skin care routine? Is it natural enough? The lines between everyday health and beauty can be easily blurred and many feel lost or more confused about their self-care. In many ways, being “enough” is such an objective statement that no one can truly meet that standard.

The truth is despite all the physical activity, beauty products, and self-awareness it comes back to the ability to have the self-love in a society that profits off of low confidence. Although this may seem impossible when there are many standards and expectations, as a woman becoming a master of emotional health is essential. When prioritizing mental health it will ultimately lead to good habits that advances learning to love oneself whilst encouraging gratitude. There are many ways to practice self love, the key is to find out what ways feel best for you.

Build your confidence by doing things that are natural or even an area that you lack confidence in to learn a new skill. Whatever it may be, working out, meditating, or art, the goal is to be consistent. Choosing a good habit to implement in a daily routine has many health benefits that will eventually become a healthier lifestyle. In the process of committing to these habits is when your confidence will grow. Being kind to yourself and feeling a sense of accomplishment builds character and will help strengthen mental health.

Representation

On top of the industry profiting on not being “enough”, there is also the implicit meaning behind representation. Humans are visual creatures and what is predominantly shown is considered “normal”. That said, there is no explicit understanding of what is deemed as beautiful, rather, the interpretation of what is shown is what is deemed as beautiful. Now why is this an issue? What if what is being shown is always the same standard and aesthetic? What if what is being represented is heavily edited and meant to look natural? More importantly, what do all these things imply?

I will leave those questions for everyone to think about, but what I do want to focus on is that representation is also built on the same notion that there is always room to improve. Unfortunately, for many people of colour it is a common belief that improving is, well, looking white. If that resonates, something that helps to think of is that everyone wants what they do not have. To understand perception is to accept that what is perceived is the ability of seeing parts of who you are in others (both "good" and "bad"). This is the reason why people project emotional reactions on a first impression.

Accepting perception in this way is liberating because it allows for a more objective view, ultimately, removing the personalization from standards and representation. With that in mind, it is now healthier to move forward with self-improvement.

Insecurity

If this distinction cannot be made and what is mentioned above is combined what is created? An insecure society. This is done because this is the best way to apply pressure and create the sense of NEED for the beauty industries products. Often, it is easier to appreciate what you do not have over what you already do. The focus of this industry is to keep you wanting more for yourself because why would you want to have any less. Mediocracy is especially frowned upon because if too many become contempt, then who will continue to consume?

In this society, consumption is a reality of how life is set up. In many ways it may be difficult to consume when there are so many concepts to consider but it is important to never consume out of insecurity. Maintain a healthy perspective of what is important to you and make decisions accordingly. Transforming what you are into the best version it can be will always be above the norm. Embrace what gives you an identity but more importantly do not let any standards dictate your sense of self.

Solution

As a woman of colour, I have finally realized that culture is the inspiration and being different is beautiful. To be frank, the most successful trends are cultivated from various cultures (aka the issue of cultural appropriation). Therefore, embrace your natural aesthetic no matter what you look like, because even plastic surgery mirrors traits from people of colour. No one looks different anymore because everyone has the same makeup, hair, and botox. When those criteria are not met it is easily deemed as “ugly”. So be it. In all honesty, it is better to be deemed as an “ugly” trend setter than a basic baddie.