Addison Rae, a TikTok sensation and founder of Item Beauty, dives into the evolution of beauty standards influenced by social media. With 78.5 million followers, she shares insights on how her rise to fame led her to launch her beauty line, following in the footsteps of icons like Kylie Jenner. The discussion touches on the unique relationship between influencers and their fans, the transformation of beauty marketing, and how the pandemic has reshaped consumer connections with brands. Rae’s journey illustrates the blending of personal expression and pop-culture dynamics in the beauty industry.
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Addison Rae's Beauty Venture
Addison Rae, a popular TikTok star, partnered with Ipsy to launch her own beauty brand, Item Beauty.
This move reflects a broader trend of influencers and celebrities capitalizing on their fame by creating their own beauty lines.
insights INSIGHT
Shifting Power in Beauty
The beauty industry is changing as influencers leverage their close relationships with fans.
This shift exploits the intimacy between influencer and fan, creating a new sales dynamic.
insights INSIGHT
Beauty and Wellness
The beauty industry, once criticized, is now seen as promoting self-love and wellness.
Applying makeup is framed as self-care, despite potential anxieties about appearance.
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In 'The Beauty Myth,' Naomi Wolf argues that the concept of beauty is an artificial construct used to oppress women, particularly in modern society. The book explores how this 'beauty myth' affects various aspects of women's lives, including work, culture, religion, sex, hunger, and violence. Wolf contends that this myth is perpetuated by large industries that profit from women's insecurities, keeping women in a state of self-consciousness and self-hatred as they strive to meet impossible beauty standards. The book calls for a reevaluation of society's perception of women's worth and challenges the harmful effects of these beauty ideals[2][3][5].
Perfect Me
Beauty as an Ethical Ideal
Heather Widdows
Perfect Me examines the evolving nature of beauty ideals, showing how they have become more dominant, demanding, and global. Heather Widdows argues that beauty is no longer just an aesthetic ideal but an ethical one, shaping our perceptions of self and others. The book delves into how this ideal affects daily practices and promises a dubious good life.
Beauty Imagined
A History of the Global Beauty Industry
Geoffrey Jones
Beauty Imagined provides the first authoritative history of the global beauty industry, tracing its development from the late 19th century to the present. The book explores how major brands like Avon, Coty, Estée Lauder, L'Oréal, and Shiseido have shaped perceptions of beauty and influenced global markets. It also examines the impact of globalization on the industry, highlighting both the homogenization of beauty ideals and the rise of diverse cultural influences.
During the pandemic, cheerleader-ish girls performing slithery hip-hop dances to rap music on TikTok has been the height of entertainment — enjoyed both genuinely and for laughs.
Addison Rae, one such TikToker, is the second-most-popular human being on the platform, having amassed a following larger than the population of the United Kingdom.
In seeking to monetize this popularity, she has followed a path forged by many social media stars and A-list celebrities like Rihanna and Kylie Jenner: She has started her own beauty brand.
On today’s Sunday Read, a look at how beauty has entered a phase of total pop-culture domination and how influencers are changing the way the sell works by mining the intimate relationships they have with their fans.
This story was written by Vanessa Grigoriadis and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.
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