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Beauty in the Eyes of the Beholder?

Words Amanda Okoye

Shutterstock

There’s no doubt that the lockdown has changed how most women view the beauty industry. It’s not as simple to jump in the car and drive to the salon or visit a clinic for a facial. So, what is the future of the beauty industry? Skincare Specialist, Amanda Okoye shares her thoughts.

In terms of salon visits and nail appointments, social distancing measures will most likely be in place till later this year, making it increasingly difficult to enjoy your beauty appointments. These experiences that were fun and satisfying to do have now become a little tedious right before our eyes. After social distancing is lifted, even though we may believe everything will go back to normal, nothing will ever be the same again after this pandemic, not only in our everyday lives but our time of leisure. Our focus may turn into doing our own beauty treatments from home.

The makeup campaigns tell us ‘You are beautiful in your own skin’, but is that how most women feel? We can almost get so indulged with what we see on social media through airbrushed pictures and the pressure to have the latest hairstyle and newest brand releases but beauty really is the character you wear. Let’s see more women embracing their natural side and using authentic products; less harmful to the environment and to our faces and bodies. Can we wear a smile with confidence not because we have a fresh lash set and that new Chanel matte lipstick?

FashionStock.com; Shutterstock

FashionStock.com; Shutterstock

Wearing the beauty ‘must-haves’ can be satisfying but let’s remind ourselves that these things don’t define us. So much can be force fed to us through social media particularly through Instagram and the infamous TikTok app.Your attention can be drawn to comparing yourself to other women’s bodies which can now even bring the temptation to indulge plastic surgery but what about the women of the 70s-90s; where the beauty industry wasn’t as advanced. Women still looked and felt amazing, what’s the difference between then and now? Overtime, we have seen a lot of new innovations such as phones, televisions and tablets which has changed the face of technology and paved the way for new interaction globally. This gave beauty moguls opportunities to create new ways to sell products and services. A couple of decades later and you meet what you call the 21st-century beauty where you often see the faces of Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian. Let’s see them use their platforms to speak out more about the beauty industry that they have such a high level of influence in.

Instead of ‘beauty influencers’, let’s have beauty advisors who help the mental state of others. Studies also prove stress has a part to play with certain skin conditions and hair loss. There’s no doubt that these things can come from the pressures of the world, to look perfect and to have the latest beauty releases. People spend their lives building to survive but don't actually ‘live’ life.

The new era of beauty is filled with different beauty advisors who unify in order to bring change to their communities and help the mental state of others. The embracing of the natural self and the encouragement of the use of natural products brings an evolutionary approach to the beauty industry. 

FashionStock.com; Shutterstock