Is my make-up 'on fleek'? | Social Pressures of Beauty

4 August 2015



I think it's safe to say that the contouring craze that has taken the beauty industry by storm is not going anywhere soon, initially due to the Kardashian/Jenner clan but now it is an essential step in everyday make-up for many people. Other trends taking over are the long, strong brows and now 'strobing', which is just basically highlighting without a leash but yeah, it does sound very cool. I personally love experimenting with contouring and highlighting by using different products and techniques but I often have to remind myself that I'm not suddenly going to look like Kylie Jenner or all those girls on Instagram, but just me but with lots of make-up on! I'm pretty sure we've all wanted to look like a certain celebrity or one of our friends at one point and there's nothing wrong with that, but what concerns me is the pressure around us telling us we have to look a certain way.

Throughout social media there is so much pressure for all females, make-up wearers or not, to look the same and have everything on 'fleek', otherwise they are made to feel they are not of the same worth than women who are blessed with (or have created the effect of) flawless skin, dark shapely brows, amazing cheekbones and full lips. And no, this isn't just me imagining this social pressure, all you need to do is scroll down your Instagram feed or your YouTube subscription box to see these being laid out. Of course I understand that lots of people are just following the latest trends in beauty so it's very easy for everyone to look the same, but, following a beauty trend does not call for people to judge and shame others for not looking the same as them.

I've been seeing a lot of this on social media, too many times in fact, where women are called out as being 'basic' for not looking a certain way. The sad fact about all this is that this shaming and pressure is from women themselves, who are pitting against each other and putting each other down for the way they look, which is so trivial compared to the many issues we are all facing. I've seen these pictures (below) being posted on social media, and lots of different variations also, and okay some people might be posting these as a joke but then you see some women who are being serious with this attitude. What do these people want me to do? Have brows that are good by their standards so I'm at the same level than them, but only then to be seen as a 'fake' at the same time?


Pinterest


Pinterest


 I really wish there was a solution to this whole problem, but I think the simplest thing to do is to stop judging one another. If you don't want to wear make-up then good for you, but please don't see women who wear it as fake. Women who wear make-up, please stop looking down on non-make-up wearers as being 'basic' or not being 'cool'. Basically the message of this post is 'do what you want but STOP JUDGING'. The idea of beauty is ever-changing and there's always going to be a certain type of look that's trending, but we should be able to look past this image of beauty and it should never blind our views on others and ourselves.

Comments