In the current era of body positivity, fat acceptance, and feelgood feminism, celebrity diets have taken a backseat to celebrity skincare. While tabloids and celebrity-focused magazines used to dissect stars’ diets and showcase photos of thin celebrities enjoying food like us, the focus has now shifted to the promise of youth. Celebrities like Hailey Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, and Rihanna are now selling skincare products that promise a smoother, brighter, and more youthful-looking face.
Let’s be clear, I, like many other moderately vain New York women approaching middle age, invest a significant amount of time, money, and effort into skincare. I follow skincare influencers on Instagram, religiously use various products, and experiment with different treatments in the hopes of shrinking my pores, plumping my collagen, erasing fine lines, and achieving that sought-after glassy complexion.
However, I have concerns about the beauty culture that underlies this obsession with skincare. It perpetuates the expectation that women should dedicate a significant amount of time, effort, and money to constantly pursue beauty without ever actually reaching a final goal. Furthermore, there is an emphasis on hiding the amount of work put in, as an appearance of effortlessness is essential to maintain this façade.
For instance, Hailey Bieber’s skincare line, Rhode, presents an illusion that her flawless skin is attainable for the average woman. She often positions herself as relatable, sharing her skincare routine consisting mostly of affordable products available at Sephora or local drug stores. While it’s nice that everyday women with modest budgets can access reasonably priced products, we must recognize the behind-the-scenes reality. Many celebrities, including Bieber, have great skin thanks to a combination of substantial financial resources, expert dermatologists and aestheticians, cosmetic interventions, and good genetics. When it comes to the time, effort, and financial investment celebrities put into their appearance, they are far from relatable to the average person. However, acknowledging this truth might challenge the perception that these women are “naturally” beautiful and deserving of the attention and opportunities they receive based on their looks.
Celebrities often deny obvious cosmetic procedures, even as they sport a more uniform “Instagram Face,” because they face judgment from society. Women are scrutinized for aging or having imperfections, yet they are also criticized for resorting to noticeable measures to address these issues. Society expects famous women to navigate an impossible tightrope between being aspirational and accessible. We desire access to their beauty secrets, hoping that the right serum or lotion will make us as beautiful, but we don’t want to be reminded that most of those secrets are out of reach for ordinary individuals. We don’t want to witness the real, sometimes unattractive, work required to maintain the most coveted bodies and faces.
When it comes to celebrity diets, I ponder which approach is better: celebrities being honest about the extreme measures they take to stay thin, or celebrities claiming to indulge in fast food like the average American. The former resembles disordered eating, while the latter perpetuates a lie. This lie is dangerous as it reinforces the notion that women should strive to be beautiful, thin, and young to please men, all while appearing effortless and natural. It’s a recipe for cognitive dissonance and self-loathing. And yet, we must not be made to feel so terrible that we give up entirely or become too feminist to engage in beauty rituals. The beauty industry relies on selling us products and perpetuating an endless cycle of self-improvement.
In a culture saturated with “body positivity” and skepticism towards airbrushing, the focus on beauty has been rebranded as wellness and empowerment. Admitting that you work hard on your appearance to shrink your body is no longer socially acceptable, even though these expectations still persist. However, reading and watching audiences continue to seek advice on achieving celebrity-like appearances, albeit now directed towards facial beauty.
It’s natural for us to desire attractiveness to others, although society’s standards of beauty vary greatly across cultures and time periods. Personally, I feel better about myself when my skin looks good, not because the absence of wrinkles or pores makes me morally superior, but because I live in a society that values youthful appearances. Being perceived as attractive carries social and financial rewards. However, this arrangement doesn’t lend itself to sexy branding. The exchange of spending significant amounts of money and effort to conform to ever-changing beauty standards to avoid rejection and mistreatment is far from glamorous.
If your skin doesn’t resemble that of a 26-year-old model, it has nothing to do with not adequately using their skincare products. And in the grand scheme of issues women face, engaging with or feeling guilty about engaging with beauty culture doesn’t even rank among the top thousand. However, it’s crucial to maintain a critical perspective towards the never-ending demands placed on women to constantly strive for unattainable beauty while pretending it requires minimal effort.
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