Savannah Hasham

Prof. Gilligan

Civic Media in the Digital Age (Journalism 2.0)

Topic: The Beauty & Cosmetic Industry

Today’s Beauty World

In today’s world, we are practically engulfed with beauty and the standards that society places on us. Although, beauty standards and cosmetics affect both women and men; in this blog, I will harp on a woman’s role in the beauty world as we know the beauty industry has since the late 1800s boomed in ways we could never have imagined. However, in this blog, I will explain the pros and cons of growth within the industry to deepen our understanding of what the beauty industry is now and where you stand in the 21st century concerning this topic.

Pro’s:

Job opportunities:

Since the 1800s the beauty industry has taken over the job industry exceptionally. Women in the 1800s often suffered with equality, especially regarding jobs. Men were often the breadwinners which led women to wonder what they could do to create a difference. However, as soon as beauty became a way of expression for women the jobs seemed to effortlessly pour in. Women who specialize in hair, waxing, and many more specialized jobs have found their revenue in the beauty industry. According to the State College of Beauty, “ Whether you already work in the beauty industry or you’re thinking about getting into this burgeoning business, you can benefit from the industry’s bright future. By 2024, the beauty industry is expected to grow by 11 percent. (Business).

Business development:

As a result of the beauty industry creating such an impact on society, it has also created an impact on business development and economic development as a whole. Many women have opened salons and spas that make them business owners who hire other women to create a circle of feminine power. According to the Personal Care Products Council, “ In 2022, the personal care products industry was responsible for 4.6 million direct and indirect jobs; $203.3 billion in labor income; $308.7 billion in our nation’s gross domestic product (GDP); and $82.3 billion in tax payments at the federal, state and local levels.” (Our). This not only helps the women involved but further develops our economy and helps create a way of life for those who have such jobs. A way to think about this business is like a circle. If a woman creates a business, she will have money to give to other businesses and so on; which makes our economy run.

Creativity and expression:

It is no secret that beauty requires a lot of creativity and skill. However, as a result of the beauty industry women have developed their self-identity since the 1800s. To many people, beauty is not a simple definition, and to women, beauty can be whatever they wish it to be. That is what makes the industry so beautiful. Women are allowed to express themselves and create an image of themselves that they wish to be. Without beauty, this would simply not be the reality. If we were all told to be a copy-and-paste version of each other life would be boring.

Con’s

Younger generations:

Sadly the beauty industry has reached such a place where even younger generations are being impacted by the beauty industry, particularly young women. Since the days of Instagram and TikTok, it is far too easy to compare how you look to those around the world. Although the beauty industry has created many opportunities it is limiting our image of ourselves. We as adults can handle the effects of negative beauty however, the younger generations are forced to live in a world where beauty dictates how we live and what we end up becoming. What is so scary about this is as the growth continues it is getting harder and harder to grasp and contain beauty ideals and how it affects us as a society.

Body image:

Relating to our younger image, beauty standards, and cosmetics have directly impacted how we see ourselves. Body image in the 21st century has become a toxic ideal that everyone desires to obtain and I would go as far as to argue that the way the beauty standards are forming there is no stopping this disastrous ideal. As stated in the Boys and Girls Clubs in America, “ In fact, 8 in 10 girls say they compare the way they look to other people on social media, and 50% of them say idealized beauty content and unrealistic filters on social media are damaging to their self-esteem.” (Talking).

Animal testing:

The last con of this blog directly relates to cosmetics in the beauty industry. I would like to bring up a quite controversial conflict that can be found in the media heavily which is using animals to test beauty products. Not only does animal testing cause distress and even death to some animals; it has even been proven that it is unreliable and unpredictable. Although many big cosmetic brands are working on creating a cruelty-free space in which their product is tested and approved for humans there are still companies out there that still abuse animals for their own business. According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), “Estée Lauder is the parent company of many subsidiaries, some of which still test products on animals, including its namesake brand as well as Clinique, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, and Origins, among others.” (These). As we can see this is still an ongoing issue but as humans to help our smaller counterparts, we can accept that this cruelty is still happening and raise awareness to stop it.

Takeaways:

Based on the information given it is clear that there are both pros and cons when it comes to the beauty industry and their cosmetics. So what do I think? I think that the beauty industry is necessary and important for human development. However, I do believe that we need to be cautious of what kinds of beauty ideals and products we are putting out there. We must also remember ethics and realize that everyone is affected by the decisions that the beauty industry chooses to make going forward. As long as we keep ourselves educated, understand that no one is perfect, and leave animals out of our blushes I think the beauty industry will continue to flourish and create a positive difference.