I've been struggling with what it means to be 'feminine' enough these days and 'pretty enough'
I think some of this might be a reaction to all the filters and how uncanny and real they look. the way people want to know is your beauty real or is bought, acquired, put on? That being said, to be pretty means to fit the same standard by the h…
I've been struggling with what it means to be 'feminine' enough these days and 'pretty enough'
I think some of this might be a reaction to all the filters and how uncanny and real they look. the way people want to know is your beauty real or is bought, acquired, put on? That being said, to be pretty means to fit the same standard by the happenstance of genetics.
The other, darker side of this that I think about is white supremacy. Is this some of this the backlash against minorities? Is this a reaction to non caucasian features or what we assume is nordic beauty (ex. big lips)? If beauty industry wealth is about power, what does this tell us about how safe or included minorities are in the current moment?
I wonder if there's a piece re: fashion and displays of wealth during 'stark' times. Could we see patterns/alignment with other times of inflation/recession (ex. 1970s beauty standards?)
Lots of rambles, few answers. Really appreciate your discussion/space here!
Wow that is something to think about! This makes me think about what Jess said when wondering if the swing towards looking natural is tied in with regressive politics and morality. If that is the case, it would make sense that part of that regression would extend to rejecting minorities from beauty standards and upholding white supremacist beauty standards.
A lot of the cosmetic trends were in the pursuit of more ethnic features, so are these reversals apart of the new trend/fatigue or a rejection of minorities and their features? I think this speaks to the frustrations of many minorities with past beauty trends as it does show their natural bodies are used as costumes to be discarded as soon as they are not “in.”
Its so fascinating thinking about it in those deeper ways, of morality and what is "pure" and "good" and "natural". and the way the beauty industry will use an entire ethnicity as a trend and then toss them aside. Its always the minorities who are stripped for parts, and given zero compensation as companies profit off of them. I'm totally curious about what you said about if this new trend is a rejection of minorities, when you have say big lips naturally, you can't get rid of them the way you can lip filler, its not a movement towards natural beauty, because everyones natural is different
“its not a movement towards natural beauty, because everyones natural is different” That is so true! I get if that person’s “natural” was smaller lips, but it starts to not feel like moving towards natural beauty if EVERYONE is opting for smaller lips regardless of if that is their natural. It’s just interesting to think about and I think people should question why they’re doing certain things.
Dude, I remember learning about how playboy models change throughout the years, and I remember recessions directly impacting the “look“ a lot. I’ll try to Google and see if I can find some thing that talks about this.
These are great points and I think you're spot-on about Eurocentric features and how white women in particular have been regularly co-opting ethnic features through sugeries/cosmetic procedures for the past 5-10 years. Also re: "feminine enough" and "pretty enough" — I think it's important to ask and answer "for what." Feminine enough for what? Pretty enough for what? Love? Acceptance? Attention? When we can define what we're aiming to be "enough" for, we can examine other, healthier, more fulfilling ways of reaching that end goal.
I've been struggling with what it means to be 'feminine' enough these days and 'pretty enough'
I think some of this might be a reaction to all the filters and how uncanny and real they look. the way people want to know is your beauty real or is bought, acquired, put on? That being said, to be pretty means to fit the same standard by the happenstance of genetics.
The other, darker side of this that I think about is white supremacy. Is this some of this the backlash against minorities? Is this a reaction to non caucasian features or what we assume is nordic beauty (ex. big lips)? If beauty industry wealth is about power, what does this tell us about how safe or included minorities are in the current moment?
I wonder if there's a piece re: fashion and displays of wealth during 'stark' times. Could we see patterns/alignment with other times of inflation/recession (ex. 1970s beauty standards?)
Lots of rambles, few answers. Really appreciate your discussion/space here!
Wow that is something to think about! This makes me think about what Jess said when wondering if the swing towards looking natural is tied in with regressive politics and morality. If that is the case, it would make sense that part of that regression would extend to rejecting minorities from beauty standards and upholding white supremacist beauty standards.
A lot of the cosmetic trends were in the pursuit of more ethnic features, so are these reversals apart of the new trend/fatigue or a rejection of minorities and their features? I think this speaks to the frustrations of many minorities with past beauty trends as it does show their natural bodies are used as costumes to be discarded as soon as they are not “in.”
Its so fascinating thinking about it in those deeper ways, of morality and what is "pure" and "good" and "natural". and the way the beauty industry will use an entire ethnicity as a trend and then toss them aside. Its always the minorities who are stripped for parts, and given zero compensation as companies profit off of them. I'm totally curious about what you said about if this new trend is a rejection of minorities, when you have say big lips naturally, you can't get rid of them the way you can lip filler, its not a movement towards natural beauty, because everyones natural is different
“its not a movement towards natural beauty, because everyones natural is different” That is so true! I get if that person’s “natural” was smaller lips, but it starts to not feel like moving towards natural beauty if EVERYONE is opting for smaller lips regardless of if that is their natural. It’s just interesting to think about and I think people should question why they’re doing certain things.
Dude, I remember learning about how playboy models change throughout the years, and I remember recessions directly impacting the “look“ a lot. I’ll try to Google and see if I can find some thing that talks about this.
Would love to read more about this!
These are great points and I think you're spot-on about Eurocentric features and how white women in particular have been regularly co-opting ethnic features through sugeries/cosmetic procedures for the past 5-10 years. Also re: "feminine enough" and "pretty enough" — I think it's important to ask and answer "for what." Feminine enough for what? Pretty enough for what? Love? Acceptance? Attention? When we can define what we're aiming to be "enough" for, we can examine other, healthier, more fulfilling ways of reaching that end goal.
I liked what you said Cathy.