If you follow the beauty world, you’ve probably heard of “Beauty Burnout”. The trend these days is skin and hair care routines, but these routines have become a matter of concern. Many bloggers show step-by-step instructions for perfect skin, but the tutorials have more than ten steps and are expensive, which are not affordable to most followers.
A standard of beauty has been established, but it is very high, almost unattainable. This standard consists of skin without pimples, acne or allergies. Even hair must be extremely shiny and hydrated. But, in addition to skin and hair, being thin has also become a requirement. Many influencers have liposuction and implants and yet they are still presented as the ideal type of natural beauty.
Teenagers targeted by cosmetic procedures
The phenomenon of beauty burnout has also affected children and teenagers. What was once seen as a phase of discovery is now marked by incredible skincare routines and even cosmetic interventions. Young influencers, between the ages of 13 and 15, are now being sponsored by beauty brands, receiving products such as anti-aging serums, acid-based creams and complete skincare lines, often without medical advice.
The most worrying thing is that many of these young women are already undergoing cosmetic procedures, such as rhinoplasty, lip fillers, silicone implants and even facial harmonization. These procedures are extremely expensive and, in addition to the financial cost, involve physical and emotional risks for still-developing bodies and minds.
For Rafaella Andrade, an aesthetics professional specializing in fillers and full-face Botox, this behavior reflects premature insecurity: “These days, comparisons start very early.” The professional says that the brain only fully develops around the age of 25, and that decisions made before that can leave permanent marks, which in most cases cannot be undone.
Edited bodies are hidden stories
It’s not just about what you see on the streets or in magazines. The idealized image of the female body is constructed mainly on social media. Hyper-realistic filters, retouching apps and carefully planned angles create faces and bodies that don’t exist outside of the screen.
These images generate a predictable aesthetic that consists of symmetrical, wrinkle-free faces with voluminous mouths, thin noses and porcelain-smooth skin. By naturalizing this filtered appearance, social media ends up reducing aesthetic diversity and excluding real features that are part of each person’s identity. Professional Rafaella points out that:
“It starts to become an obsession when the person no longer wants what their anatomy really needs.”
The most worrying thing is that, for many girls, this filter has become a reference and their real face has become a disappointment. This dissatisfaction becomes daily and is reinforced every time the front camera is opened.
Another problem is the dishonesty of influencers who have undergone procedures such as liposuction, silicone implants, facial harmonization and continue to promote the idea that their bodies are the result of training, diet and supplements, such as the famous gummy bears and shakes.
When self-care runs out
In short, Beauty Burnout is the portrait of a generation tired of trying to achieve an ideal that never comes true. What was once a practice of self-care and affection has become an obligation, a demand, and, often, a source of suffering.
The constant comparison with edited bodies, unrealistic beauty routines and procedures disguised as “authenticity” makes women and girls feel like they are never enough, either with or without a filter.
It is urgent to reclaim the true meaning of self-care, which is about nurturing, not demanding Taking care of yourself cannot mean changing yourself. The idea of beauty should not be linked to pain, nor to the denial of one’s own body. The line between care and obsession has already been crossed and only with more information, dialogue and criticism of these discourses will it be possible to cross it again.
__________
The article above was edited by Larissa Buzon.
Liked this type of content? Check Her Campus at Casper Libero‘s home page for more!