Beauty journalist Jessica DeFino discusses the myth of good skin, the evolution of tans, celebrity makeup and skincare lines, and the tipping point in the beauty industry.
Skincare products focus on achieving aesthetically pleasing skin, disregarding the skin's natural communication function.
The beauty industry's conflicts of interest hinder important discussions about beauty culture and prevent journalistic freedom.
Deep dives
Skincare's disconnect from skin's natural functions
Skincare products are often aimed at achieving aesthetically pleasing, non-communicative skin, but the skin's job is actually to communicate. Blemishes and wrinkles are natural and normal signs of skin functioning, not health issues to be fixed.
The conflicts of interest in the beauty industry
The beauty industry has a codependent relationship with brands, advertisers, and celebrities, leading to conflicts of interest in reporting and criticism. Corruption and lack of journalistic freedom prevent important discussions about beauty culture from taking place.
The illusion of inclusivity in the beauty industry
Beauty trends that claim to celebrate diversity often appropriate features from different cultures without proper understanding or context. This only perpetuates beauty standards rooted in colonialism and fails to genuinely include and uplift marginalized communities.
The harmful impact of beauty culture on mental health
Beauty culture, while sometimes presented as empowering and self-expressive, is associated with increased anxiety, depression, dysmorphia, eating disorders, and obsessive thoughts about appearance. Attention must be given to the negative impact of beauty culture on mental health.
Jessica DeFino is not your regular beauty journalist. After finding her pieces were regularly rejected from newspapers and magazines for being too incendiary, or dissing beauty brands who advertised, she founded her newsletter, The Unpublishable, where, in her own words she “dismantles beauty standards, debunks marketing myths and explores how beauty culture impacts people”. It now has 40,000 readers.
The Huffington Post once described her as “giving the middle finger to the entire beauty industry”.
Jess and I discuss why clear skin isn’t a health objective but an aesthetic one, the evolution of a tan, the explosion of celebrity makeup and skincare lines and why we’re at a tipping point in beauty.