The Evolution of Beauty Standards
Success doesn’t follow a set timeline, and sometimes the path to finding your true purpose takes longer than expected. At 30, I stepped away from the corporate world and leapt into entrepreneurship. I’ve been running my aesthetic business for six years now and I’m finally ready to share my life and business lessons.
In 2022, the beauty market, which combines skincare, fragrance, makeup, and haircare, generated around $430 billion in revenue.
Yes, women love self-care, and the big players at the top know it, which is why there’s always new products on the horizons.
Today, I want to discuss the evolution of beauty trends.
Let’s get into it…
I can’t think of a single Black woman with voluptuous features who hasn’t, at some point, been teased for having “big lips,” a large bum, or “back off,” as it was often called back in the day.
The teasing and scrutiny that Black women have faced for their features is well-documented and has roots in both cultural stereotypes and racial biases.
In the 19th century, Sarah Baartman, a South African Khoikhoi woman, was paraded across Europe in so-called "freak shows" due to her curvy figure and full lips. She became a symbol of the exploitation of Black women's bodies for their physical attributes, particularly her hips and buttocks, which were fetishised and ridiculed.
And now?
Big lips and curvy figures seem to be the features everyone has.
Back in 2018, people started going to the extreme just to achieve the look that so many women of colour are bullied for having. Lip fillers or injections, lip-plumping glosses, volumising lip masks and silly suction cup devices were all among the gimmicks being sold to the public.
What was once mocked is now desired.
And then people fell in love (again) with curvy bodies.
Inspired by music video vixens, celebs, and others alike, the Brazilian butt lift (BBL) was the most searched-for body augmentation. BBL had over 4.4 million searches in 2022, an increase of over 5,000% since 2018. - Learn more here
But believe it or not…it’s clear that the BBL trend may not be here for the long haul.
It’s now all about being slim again with some people already trying to reverse their surgeries or taking on the “75 Hard” challenge in a bid to return to slimmer bodies.
Let’s take Kim Kardashian and Angela White (previously known as Blac Chyna) as examples. Angela has now lost a lot of weight, removed fillers, reversed butt lifts and reduced breast implants, showcasing her commitment to health and fitness.
Beauty trends, whether facial or physical, are constantly shifting, and it’s unfortunate that so many people change their appearance based on the latest popular trend.
I’ve heard women criticising themselves over things I didn’t even know could be insecurities.
When I decided to start working in PMU/aesthetics in 2018, it wasn’t as mainstream. We all knew some celebrities had touched up their looks, but most people only knew about Botox, as cosmetic fillers were less common. (This then became the in thing, with some taking it to the extreme, shows such as Botched were birthed, showcasing some of the disasters there.)
It’s becoming increasingly apparent to me, as someone who works in the beauty space, that not everyone does it for self-validation. Instead, some are influenced by the pressures of the influencer economy, as one influencer admitted in a BBC documentary. She believed a BBL would translate to more income to support her children.
Another source of pressure is the media.
And the constant age-shaming! We often see tabloids comparing how women looked in their prime with how they look now.
This continual, direct and indirect comparison to a woman’s younger self often leads to feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction with appearance.
As I mentioned in one of my first newsletters, I always try to understand the root cause of why a client comes to me.
While some practitioners may accept any client, even when the desired outcome might not be flattering, I prioritise integrity over profit.
If a client’s motivation isn’t rooted in their love of aesthetics and beauty but in something else, I’m not afraid to encourage them to rethink their decision.
I’m often asked, “Aren’t you contributing to this?” My answer is no. We shouldn’t, and can’t, stop women from getting work done if they choose to. However, as professionals, it’s SO important to uphold integrity. This means educating clients and being honest with them.
Some of the procedures I see don’t look natural, and it’s clear those clients aimed to completely change their faces. This is, of course, their prerogative, but I believe the most beautiful thing you can do is be the best version of yourself… not the best version of Beyoncé.
People are convinced they’re unattractive when beauty is, in fact, relative. Just because we might live in a time when certain features are not as trendy doesn’t make us any less beautiful.
Life-like features and bodies are classic and never go out of style!