Monetization of Beauty
By WILLA DUBOIS ‘20
In 2019, beauty is a privilege of the wealthy. From expensive beauty products to plastic surgery, conventional beauty has become a commodity to be purchased, not a natural phenomena. In fact, it is now possible not only to purchase beauty but also to sell it. The body positivity movement may be gaining traction, but, without addressing the commercialization of conventional beauty, we can never be truly accepting.
According to the Business Executive, companies with attractive representatives sell more, attractive political candidates gain more votes, and beautiful people are seen as more likeable and trustworthy. If beautiful people are seen as more likeable and trustworthy, they are more likely to receive offers in subjective assessments like college acceptances and job interviews. Thus, being conventionally beautiful gives someone an advantage in the non-media market.
Media only exaggerates the importance of beauty. Not only does beauty help actors and singers gain fans and fame, but the emerging social media and influencer industries have skyrocketed the commercial value of attractiveness. We like looking at beautiful people, so we choose to consume visual media content containing beautiful people. Consequently, those people become more successful and more wealthy.
Beauty sells, in both the conventional and media markets. If beauty sells, the natural question is, “Who sells it?” One might assume that only the genetically blessed can market their looks, but, in fact, anyone can buy beauty.
The most obvious route to beauty is the astronomically expensive plastic surgery. According to West Lake Dermatology, the average national cost of a basic facelift is $12,125, and we can assume that a talented and trustworthy surgeon would be significantly more expensive than the average. However, plastic surgery is far from the only route. Designer makeup products are drastically more expensive, charging $54 for Yves Saint Laurent foundation instead of $12.99 for the same quantity of Revlon foundation. Skin care is even more shocking: $250 for a La Mer face mask pot, and $5.07 for the same quantity of a L’Oreal face mask. Though some drugstore dupes are effective as products, these huge price gaps show how expensive high quality beauty products can be.
These are only a few examples, but in every beauty-related industry the 1% have the advantage. Designer clothes tailored to fit in the most flattering way, professional hairdressers, stylists, and so forth— in every aspect, beauty can be purchased. From the best products to the most talented and experienced professionals, the rich are able to buy beauty. According to People Magazine, Kylie Jenner is not doing her own hair. Instead, she is purchasing custom wigs from a stylist whose off the rack designs run up to $950. Products aren’t the end, either. Editing software like photoshop and facetune are used by celebrities and our friends alike, but they aren’t free. Purchasing editing software allows someone to make themself look more beautiful in media. Since many of us see only celebrities in media, we come to believe that their edited self is their real self.
We feel uncomfortable addressing the financial aspects of beauty. Especially in the era of body positivity and increased acceptance, no one wants to admit that beautiful people have an advantage, and in a culture that generally talks about beauty as a natural gift, it is awkward to suggest that beauty can be bought. However, addressing these realities is essential to creating a healthier and kinder culture around appearance. If we can’t acknowledge that beauty is a privilege, then we can’t change that fact. If we can’t acknowledge that beauty is expensive, then we can’t change that appearance has become an industry either.
Conventional beauty isn’t the only kind of beauty, and the idea that only a very specific appearance is “beautiful” hurts the majority of us. We must confront the commercialization of conventional beauty to become truly body positive: start consuming media produced by people that don’t fit the narrow standard, encourage your friends and yourself to post pictures not produced with expensive products unaffordable for 99% of people, and actively work to combat your internalization of the privilege of beauty. Directly address the standard, and change it.