Beauty. One of the most overused and least meaningful words that we hear today, with a disputed meaning and many implications. What is beauty? Is it what lies on the outside?Thin body, good hair, makeup, clothing and style? Or is it what lies within, your personality, dreams, goals and aspirations? While there is a huge surge in popular culture to focus on internal beauty, rather than the superficial aspects that society has us hyper-focused on, there is one thing holding back this self-love and acceptance movement; and that is the flood of beauty tutorials on social media.
What's the big deal, you may ask?
While scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, I easily come across at least five tutorials a day. Sometimes, I see five tutorials within minutes. There's no limit to what these videos depict; makeup, hair, skin care, painting nails, even ways to make your armpits less dark.
The videos seem harmless. Simple, short videos with tips and tricks for your own personal beauty. But what message are they actually sending? That if you don't try these types of things, if you don;t contour your face, paint your nails, have perfect hair or have dark armpits, you aren't beautiful? Seemingly harmless videos that are meant to be helpful are counteracting the social movement that is underway.
As a girl who can name more tennis shoe brands than makeup palettes, I can't relate to the hype of new lipsticks or hair styles. I hardly care, but I have even found myself questioning how I fall into this whole mess. After watching a hair tutorial, I realized that it would never work because my hair would never cooperate, and I was vaguely disappointed. After seeing one too many contouring videos, I found myself wondering if I was missing out on something; was I not fitting in because I don't do my makeup? Are my eyebrows not "fleeky" enough? What is going on here?
Luckily, I'm comfortable enough in my own skin and ways that after these thoughts, I laugh at myself. I know that these things are superficial fads that will pass within ten years, and will probably be scoffed at just like the mullet. The makeup is a waste of time, because I've come to like my face without makeup more than with it. I like my fingernails short without paint, and I like my hair in a bun.
What about the young girls and women that aren't comfortable enough to laugh at the fads, though?
If these tutorial videos are prominent enough to make a confident person like myself question what I'm doing, what is it doing to the girls who have self esteem issues? What are we teaching them? That the only way to be beautiful is to contour their face and fill in their eyebrows? That your arm pits shouldn't be too dark?
We're accidentally teaching people that their natural body is not quite good enough. That they should add or do something, just instead of allowing themselves to be, well, themselves. That sure, they look "okay" natural, but to really be a looker, they need to follow these tutorials.
Frankly, I'm tired of these videos. I'm tired of seeing the internet filled with thin, naturally beautiful women do things on camera to make themselves, and others,"better". Why better something that's great the way it is? I'm tired of these videos, not only because there are so many of them, but because I think they are accidentally sending a message out, that many of the same women making them probably wouldn't agree with. I'm not saying that beauty tips aren't good, or that they are something to be ashamed of. I believe women should wear as much makeup as they want, or none at all. But I do think that the tutorials we see so much shouldn't target certain things that are completely natural.
Maybe I'm reading way too far into it. But it's worth asking the questions, right?
