Welcome back to our series You’re Not Ugly, You’re Just Poor , where we explore (rant about) unattainable and often unrealistic beauty standards if you’re a normal human being.
So I’m sure you’ve experienced this:
You don’t wear makeup, someone asks if you’re sick.
You wear a brighter lipstick shade than usual, someone asks who you’re tying to impress.
You can’t win.
c/o @slicedotca on Instagram
Which made me think about the cost of makeup. I priced out an “affordable” makeup kit, including tools, and it starts around $350. That doesn’t include skincare, which is going to give you the best makeup outcomes in the first place. Then, add in clinical and cosmetic dermatology, now we’re in the thousands. Incorporate a healthy lifestyle - time to work out and recover, proper food and time to prepare it - and it’s astronomical. All to look “good.”
Money Talks
If you think I’m going overboard, check out this Instagram post from @sportcenter about how much pro football quarterback Russell Wilson spends JUST ON HIS PHYSICAL BODY:
So…yeah. Forget starting in the hundreds, pros are starting in the millions.
If you want cheap thrills though, those are also available. All you have to do is head over to Instagram and check out the hundreds of free filters where you can basically catfish yourself. In this lovely and honest article, author and blogger Stephanie Yeboah discusses her relationship with one particular filter that, when not utilized - meaning when she saw her actual reflection in the screen - she felt bad about herself. And I admit I’ve had the same reaction. Check this out:
I think this is the “Golden Hour” filter, but I caught myself staring at the filtered version and regretting I didn’t get a nose job while I was under for sinus surgery. I added a little faux tan to my moisturizer the next day, and I started pricing undereye and lip fillers (they’re in the thousands). Yeesh.
I’m not downing any of these procedures at all. I’m saying if I had unlimited funds and down time I’d be doing them. So here’s the question:
Where’s the line?
Clearly, I’m fully in the beauty is fun/do what you want to your face camp. However, what happens when maybe you want more than you can afford? Does it mean you have issues because you want them in the first place? But then what about folks who go into debt to afford these fixes? That surely can’t make them bad people?
Two Sections of the Line
Full disclosure, I have a psychology degree so I love knowing why people do what they do. But as a makeup artist and teacher, I love makeup and it makes me feel awesome. So…I guess part of the line is that I feel awesome without it, too? I don’t rely on makeup or looking a certain way for my self-worth, although I do enjoy how makeup enhances my favorite features. What are your thoughts?
Back to the reason I started this series: having discussions with friends and wanting to invest in lasers/fillers/Botox but it’s freaking expensive. So another part of the line is personal finances and how much of them you are able to devote to your appearance - then how much of those funds you put towards your face.
Reality Check
Listen. I’m acutely aware that we’re talking about trivial things in the midst of a global pandemic that’s claiming lives and livelihoods, even in the beauty space. The cruel and ugly truth is that unless we’re directly involved, somehow the world continues to turn.
I love makeup not only for how it makes me feel, but also as sensory therapy, an escape, a creative outlet, and as a gift I give to others. I think we all have this inner part of us that wants to feel beautiful, desirable, whatever you want to call it. And I have seen, first-hand, the friction that comes when we just can’t “keep up” with others we deem to be unattainably beautiful.
I can’t control the beauty industry, but I can moderate it and break it down for you, and I’m here to tell you this in the most plain terms: we vote with our time and money.
So stop following toxic “beauty gurus” and spending money on gross companies. Because it starts with us. And positive change is happening rapidly. I want to be a part of it.
I’ll leave you with another take. Huda Kattan, who created Huda Beauty and has a net worth of $610 million (as of 2/20), who is very open about her love of makeup, her plastic surgery and cosmetic dermatology use, is fed up. She recently posted an emotional video on her YouTube channel, and she sums up everything well.
Next time, we’ll talk action steps and what we can do about all the shenanigans. Meanwhile, sign up for my monthly, exclusive email below where I may or may not be dropping a free lesson this month. -JY