The podcast illustrates how the evolution of beauty standards is closely tied to political events, reflecting societal concerns and traditional gender norms.
Jessica DeFino critiques the 'clean girl' trend, arguing it promotes wealth performance over natural beauty, emphasizing effort rather than results.
Heightened beauty expectations create emotional challenges for young individuals, linking self-worth to appearance and fostering insecurities in modern culture.
Deep dives
The Evolution of American Beauty Standards
The discussion highlights the evolution of beauty standards in America, tracing back to the influencer culture and beauty ideals that have changed over the years. The conversation identifies a significant shift from the 'Instagram face' aesthetic to trends described as 'clean girl' and 'expensive skin,' which emphasize appearances that convey wealth and effort rather than natural beauty. The concept of the 'clean girl' look is critiqued for promoting a form of wealth performance, where attention is given to how much work someone puts into their beauty routine rather than the results themselves. This reflects a deeper societal desire for recognition of beauty as a form of work, where the aesthetics of privilege and class increasingly dictate perceptions of desirability.
Impact of Politics on Beauty Ideals
A noticeable trend in beauty standards is correlated with political events, where each aesthetic shift reflects broader societal concerns. The podcast discusses how heightened political tensions lead to a resurgence of traditional masculinity and femininity, with women and men reinforcing specific beauty ideals through cosmetic enhancements. This has resulted in a regressive return to classic gender norms, with increased beauty technology offering tools that reinforce outdated standards of attractiveness. The shift has alarmingly coincided with far-right movements, where beauty ideals have become intertwined with political rhetoric, further exacerbating pressure on individuals to conform to these constructed standards.
The Personal Cost of Beauty
The pressures exerted by modern beauty standards create significant emotional and psychological challenges for individuals, particularly young people. With beauty norms being constantly heightened, individuals feel compelled to spend more time, money, and energy in pursuit of aesthetics deemed acceptable. The conversation reveals concerns about the emotional toll this places on younger generations, particularly as they grow up in a culture where beauty is tied to self-worth and societal acceptance. As young people increasingly fixate on their appearance, insecurities emerge, with a rising focus on skin and beauty routines leading to negative self-audits and a distorted sense of value.
Cultural Narratives Shaping Beauty
Cultural narratives around beauty continue to evolve, revealing sharp divisions in beauty practices influenced by socio-political orientations. The podcast points out a trend among influencers who highlight their cosmetic procedures as a form of transparency, which paradoxically may normalize these interventions while overshadowing deeper societal implications. Yet, this approach often misses addressing the foundational concerns about beauty's intersection with power dynamics and gender roles. This commodification of beauty and radical transparency can obscure critical conversations about the relationship between gender, beauty standards, and personal agency.
The Future of Beauty in Turbulent Times
The podcast concludes with contemplation regarding the future trajectory of beauty standards and individual expressions of beauty. It suggests that as political realities push people toward desperate measures, there may be increased fixation on aesthetics as a means of claiming control in an uncertain world. The ongoing interplay between diets, beauty enhancements, and societal pressures feeds a cycle that perpetuates insecurities and conformity, reflecting larger anxieties present within the zeitgeist. This recognition of beauty as both an aesthetic pursuit and a political statement beckons further examination of how these intersections shape identities and challenge existing norms.
Beauty has always sent big political messages, and that’s perhaps never been more evident than it is today. This week, Alyssa sits down with Jessica DeFino, the brilliant mind behind The Review of Beauty newsletter, to discuss the aesthetic vibe shift she’s seen since Trump was elected for his second term — and the conservative leaning beauty trends she saw bubbling up before then that were a harbinger of things to come. Tune in to hear how Jessica’s time working for the Kardashian official apps led her to question everything she thought about beauty, as well as her insights about why the “Clean Girl” trend was a huge indicator of something shifting and cosmetic class performance hidden as self-care; the recent glorification of the time, effort, and money that goes into looking beautiful, or the Protestant work ethic for prettiness; the regressive cultural return to traditional femininity and masculinity that’s tied to what’s happening in beauty; why exercising control and autonomy through beauty and our bodies is a direct reaction to the lack of autonomy we feel elsewhere in our lives; how MAHA has bled into the beauty and wellness industries, and why we should have seen the raw milk thing coming through the lens of beauty; how Mar-a-Lago face is meant to communicate power and your status as “elite” via work you’ve had done; unpacking the “Conservative Girl” and “Republican Makeup” trends on TikTok; the consequences of beauty ideals getting ingrained younger and younger; beauty as the new American dream, and where we find the identity and drive we used to derive from jobs; why beauty TikTok is the manosphere for women, and so much more.
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