Buying a beauty standard

 

A new Rhode campaign?!

Just after I scrolled away from a reel on my Instagram home page, I hit something incredibly eye-catching. Wait… Is that… Yes! It’s Rhode’s new peptide lip liner. Hailey has been teasing this for weeks! I want it. I need it.

We’ve all been there before. It comes in an instant - you’re scrolling on Instagram, or TikTok, or maybe even Pinterest - and you see an aesthetic product that would look perfect on your counter. Maybe it’s pink - or it’s themed just like another product you have from that one brand. You tell yourself “What? I’m just adding it to the set. It would be a crime if I didn’t buy it.”

Deep down, though, you know that you probably don’t need it. You already have a green jade face roller - you probably don’t need a pink one - even if it is from The Skinny Confidential. So why, then, do we want to buy it? We already know that there are environmental reasons not to buy things. But specifically within the wellness niche there’s an even more important reason. Buying too many things - simply because they’re pretty - is actually rooted in insecurity and lack of confidence. Let’s break this claim down - and break the cycle of buying a beauty standard instead of a product.

WHY DO I BUY IT?

Let's be real - we've all fallen victim to the perfectly curated Instagram shelf. You know the one I'm talking about: that dreamy pink-and-white aesthetic with perfectly aligned products, all coordinated like they're posing for a magazine shoot. I can’t lie, this is definitely the reason I chose a value pack for my Youth To The People skincare. Like, I wanted them because they were clean - but they also look really good as a set.

According to a study by the Journal of Consumer Research, we're not just buying products - we're buying into a lifestyle. Those perfectly arranged shelfies trigger what psychologists call "aspirational purchasing" - where we're not just buying a face roller, we're buying the promise of becoming that put-together person with the perfect morning routine. 

And let's not even get started on the FOMO. Studies show that social media exposure increases impulse buying by 47%. That's right - nearly half of our "I need this right now!" moments are triggered by endless scrolling. (Look, I'm not saying I haven't panic-bought a glycolic acid toner at 2 AM, but we're all working on ourselves here.)

Now, alone, buying into this lifestyle isn’t completely harmful, especially if it’s empowering and paired with motivation. Some accounts pair it with other aspects that aren’t just beauty - and this lightens the pressure to buy a product. (Hint: you’re reading this from an account that embodies this value right now - hello Nova Style Studios!) But - let’s go into how this can become harmful and when to avoid it.

Beauty + Consumption (Back in time)

Stay with me - to truly understand we need to draw back the layers. And oh, they root deep. Our current "buy to be beautiful" mentality didn't just appear overnight - it's been carefully cultivated for centuries.

In the 1920s, the beauty industry first mastered the art of creating insecurities to sell products. According to historian Dr. Martha Richards' research, the first mass-market beauty campaigns successfully convinced women that natural body odor was socially unacceptable - leading to a 2,000% increase in deodorant sales over just five years. It’s interesting to analyze this - because as you do, you’’ start to realize how common this is today.

Fast forward to the 1950s, where research shows the average woman used four beauty products daily. Today? That number has skyrocketed to 16 products daily, according to the "Evolution of Beauty Standards" study. The study draws a direct line between increasing product use and declining self-image scores among consumers. We love our products… But buying them has undoubtedly been influenced by a history of meticulous manipulation.

Perhaps most tellingly, a study from "From Medicine to Marketing" reveals how the wellness industry borrowed tactics from historical beauty marketing: creating problems, promising solutions, and perpetuating standards. The study found that 73% of modern wellness marketing uses the same psychological triggers as beauty ads from the 1950s - just with updated language.

To sum: The industry creates problems - just to fix them with cure-all products, convinces you to buy more and more of these manufactured miracles, and then feeds them to you with marketing spoonfuls of sugar. Yikes. 

BUYING A BEAUTY STANDARD:

This means we're not just buying products - we're buying into an impossible standard that has been wired into our brains throughout history. A recent study by the International Journal of Beauty Economics found that beauty companies release an average of 27 new "must-have" products every month, with each promising to fix a "flaw" you probably didn't even know you had. The wellness industry has cleverly repackaged traditional beauty standards under the guise of "self-care" and "wellness." You buy it too - according to a 2024 Beauty Industry Report you’ll spend $313 per month on those must-have products. That’s $4,000 a year on not just products, but an industry standard.

The real issue isn’t in the buying - that’s a consumer choice - but in how the verbiage affects our minds. Research by the Beauty Marketing Institute shows that 76% of beauty marketing campaigns focus on "fixing" or "improving" rather than celebrating natural features. Even more telling, a comprehensive study of social media beauty content revealed that 89% of "wellness" products are marketed alongside images of young, conventionally attractive models who represent less than 5% of the population's natural features. These “problem areas” the industry is finding weren’t even a previous worry for women. Suddenly, though, it’s all about the FIX.

Let's be clear: there's nothing wrong with buying products that make you feel good. The problem isn't in the purchasing - it's in the messaging. You're not just being sold a serum; you're being sold the idea that you need fixing. That without this product, you're somehow falling short of an ideal. 

Your self-image is deteriorating.

So, beyond the obvious hit to our wallets (sorry, credit card), this constant cycle of buying is detrimental. To your mind, to your wellness, and yes, to your beauty - because despite buying all these products you won’t ever be satisfied. The psychology behind this is fascinating and concerning. Recent studies found that social media exposure to "perfect" wellness routines and product displays increases anxiety levels by 35% in young adults. It creates what psychologists call a "hedonic treadmill" - we're running faster and faster, but we're not getting anywhere.

Dr. Sarah Martinez, a clinical psychologist specializing in body image, puts it perfectly: "The wellness industry often capitalizes on our insecurities while pretending to solve them". This creates a dangerous feedback loop according to “Consumer Psychology Today” - 67% of consumers report feeling temporarily better after a beauty purchase, but this feeling fades within 48 hours, leading to what experts call the "beauty buy-and-crash cycle".

Additionally, the search for a “miracle product” (which also gives you that post-buy high), can lead to:

• Increased anxiety about appearance

• Decreased satisfaction with current products

• A perpetual feeling of "not enough"

Yeah. Scary. Let’s bring ourselves down to Earth for a second. We all want a perfect routine (and it’s okay to dream sometimes) - but it’s time to take a stand. What if we all just decided to solemnly swear never to buy the industry’s spoon-fed problems? Or even better - an influencer’s 12 second video?

Overcome it:

Redefine Your "Problem Areas" Next time you look in the mirror and spot a "flaw," challenge yourself: Would you have noticed this before social media pointed it out? Try this: Write down what makes these features uniquely yours. Those smile lines? They're evidence of joy. That uneven skin texture? It's normal, human skin - not an Instagram filter.

1. Create a Conscious Wellness Practice: Instead of following prescribed routines, build one that actually serves you. I recently cleaned out my bathroom, and it was one of the most therapeutic processes. I mean, I even got rid of Glossier that wasn’t worth keeping. The key is to ask: "Does this make me feel genuinely good, or am I doing it for the aesthetic?" 

2. Practice "Reality-Check" Moments: When you feel the urge to buy something for your "wellness routine," pause and use the power of three: What three things do you already own that serve this purpose? What three non-product solutions could address this concern? What three positive things about yourself are you possibly overlooking at this moment? 

3. Build a Beauty-Standard-Resistant Mindset: Create a wellness mission statement that has nothing to do with how you look. Focus on how you want to feel, what activities bring you joy, and what truly makes you feel cared for. It’s about your confidence!

4. Not every wellness trend needs to be about looking good. When you see a new trend or product, ask yourself: "Is this about health, or is it about fitting a beauty standard?" For example, your morning walk doesn't need to be an aesthetic TikTok moment - it can just be about moving your body because it feels good.

Now look, as a girl who loves aesthetic wellness - I mean, I literally run Nova Style Studios - it’s hard to hear the implications of how this can, in fact, go down the wrong track. We’re just girls, and sometimes buying things and making things aesthetic is genuinely fun. The point is - find a balance. You won’t always be buying a beauty standard - but if you are buying a standard:

1. Make sure it’s something you actually need or want

2. Make sure it makes you feel good

3. Make sure it fits into your life or age

4. And make sure that it at least improves your confidence - not just the confidence in how you look - but the real confidence deep inside you.

NEXT STEPS

I am unashamedly obsessed with aesthetics. But what I’ve learned from researching this is that beauty standards were never going to go away. They will never magically disappear. That’s why we need a shift. There needs to be a way to love aesthetics - to love the products brands sell us - without allowing them to sell us a fix also. 

Because is there really anything for them to fix? Aren’t we all perfect as we are? What if a brand sold confidence with their products - and not the detrimental verbiage we see now? What would that look like? There are so many unanswered questions that surround the beauty and wellness industry - especially when looking into brands.

But clearing them up starts here - it starts with research and understanding. Hopefully, then, each of us can make a difference (at least for ourselves).

Xoxo, 

Ella, Club Studios