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The Surprising Truth About Modern Beauty Standards

Photo: Courtesy of Beautycon Media

You might think everything that can be said about the power of beauty has been said. There are enough studies about the things beautiful people can get away with. The American Physchological Association pointed out that cute babies get more attention from their parents. A 2014 study by Rachel A. Gordon, Robert Crosnoe, and Xue Wang stated that attractive people do better in school and are more likely to earn a college degree, while a 2011 Economics Letters publication states that hiring managers are more likely to call back attractive candidates.

But what makes beauty powerful is the fact that more and more people have taken what “beautiful” means into their own hands.

Breaking barriers

Alicia Keys recently publicly said that she would no longer be wearing makeup at all, while male digital content creators like Angel Merino—better known by his online persona Mac Daddy — have begun to adopt makeup as a form of self-expression.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT : Ashley Tisdale, Jeannie Mai and Kandee Johnson chat about everything from female empowerment to their favorite beauty products at Beautycon Festival LA.

In other words, beauty has become something that is so much more personal than it used to be and people aren’t apologizing for the things that make them feel beautiful. And why should they, right? They have inspired an overhaul of what the standards of beauty are.

Beauty evolution

For example, take Aerie, the subset of American Eagle specializing in intimates and sleepwear. Aerie recently launched their Real Campaign, showcasing models from all different ethnicities with all different body types, and as a direct result, sales for the brand shot up nine percent. Glossier is another example, a brand whose curated products are known for catering to those who are not after the glamorous look. Not only did the brand take Insta-marketing to a whole new level, Glossier has an over-10,000 person waiting list for two of its products, one of them being the super Insta-famous “Boy Brow.”

Beauty is about feeling comfortable in your skin, whether that means not wearing a drop of makeup or painting your face every single day—it’s up to you. The real power of beauty lies in your individuality.

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