Written by: Gilan Choubachy
Edited by: Mona Timor Shehata
Published by: Amira Haytham
In today’s world of makeup and skincare, we are surrounded by different products with impressive, catchy titles like: flawless skin, pore refiner, healthy glowing skin, age rewind. All of the titles almost echo one another and the worst part is that they do not have to live up to what they actually promise.
Why do these things work? Why do you spend your money and sometimes exert an effort to get hold of a new “hype” product?
They promise you a healthy looking skin. But let us break this down: they base their argument on the fact that you are exhausted all the time or that you do not get enough sleep. Well, let us face it in the busy life of today if you have a deadline to meet or a 9-5 job, how are you supposed to look glamorous? There is more magic in sleep than in a bottle. But again who would make money when people sleep! They prey on people’s insecurity. The Media now sets standards for beauty. You need to have a certain look to be considered beautiful in the eyes of the media. You compare your image to that of models you see on Instagram. This is how the market wins, they want us all, regardless of how different we truly are, to want the very same things so they would know what to sell. It makes it easier for them.
Ads contribute to this idea, as well; some whitening creams link getting lighter skin to being successful and fulfilled. Advertisers use terms such as confidence and power to attach the sale to positive ideas that overshadow false claims. The takeaway is not a call to neglect your skin, after all self-care is self-love. It is rather a warning to keep an eye on what you are buying. To check again, if it is really worth it or are you just contributing to a system of biased beauty standards!