The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.
It’s no secret that most, if not all, sociopolitical systems in the Western world are built upon white supremacy and capitalism — and modern skin health, as well as cosmetic trends, are no exception.
In the past decade or so, society has been bombarded by modern skin care trends ranging from outlandish cosmetic procedures to “natural” skin health remedies. The intersection of such with choice feminism has had both positive and negative impacts on women’s agency — with the bad undoubtedly outweighing the good.
A few of the most popular arguments for this topic lie within the race and class intersection of modern skin health, as well as the perpetuation of patriarchal standards. Some even discuss the potential for a “broader eugenics regime” taking place within the reinforcement of those standards — with the idea that such a regime is disguised as women’s agency and the act of choice.
We can see this phenomenon in the correction — or more accurately, erasure — of non-Eurocentric features through cosmetic procedures. While many procedures like rhinoplasties, double-eyelid surgeries, and skin lightening of hyperpigmentation are procedures that adhere to Eurocentric beauty standards, there are a number of procedures that, namely, white women undergo to mimic features of women of color, which women of color are often persecuted for. This is shown in the increase of Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs), breast augmentations, and lip filler since the 2010s, with BBLs specifically having a 90% increase from 2015 to 2019.
As far as modern skin health, women are often approached with the need to correct natural skin conditions and complexions.
As a licensed esthetician with a personal, context-dependent goal of increasing internal skin health as opposed to correcting external complexion, I couldn’t help but notice all of the, what I would consider, anti-feminist rhetoric and procedures that were constantly encouraged by my industry. My main observation exists within the rejection of the natural outcomes of aging.
Wrinkles, age spots, dryness, and sensitivity are all common when looking at mature skin. So why is it that as a man ages, he is told that he’s a “silver fox,” and “ages like fine wine,” while women are so often encouraged to correct every physical sign of aging? Women are constantly told to correct these physical characteristics, and the phenomenon is a product of a patriarchy that has intended racial hierarchies and exists under capitalism.
We can see this in skin services such as microneedling, intensified chemical peels, and laser treatments; and cosmetic procedures such as facelifts and injectables. Yes, many of these services provide other skin benefits that have nothing to do with aging at all, so it’s the intention behind the service that matters.
When encouraged to participate in patriarchy-fueled standards, we must acknowledge how women of all intersections are influenced. How do we expect a lower-class woman, struggling to put food on the table, to pay for these treatments that take women back to what we’re told is our physical prime? How do we expect a Black woman to go get a rhinoplasty so that her features appear more Eurocentric? Why must women adhere to these standards in order to feel beautiful, and why must we associate so much power with that beauty?
Choice feminists have been notorious in the past few years for encouraging these skin and cosmetic trends in harmony with reproductive rights, and the notion that “your body is your choice.” My response to choice feminists is, yes, you’re absolutely correct. Women have every right to do whatever they want to their bodies because it is their choice — that fact should never be debated.
But, when you participate in a mass assimilation to beauty standards that have been built by a patriarchy, you mustn’t claim that the choice to do so is in the name of feminism — as it directly perpetuates the most basic form of patriarchal standards, such as what is and what is not beautiful.
In no way am I meaning to shame any women who have or want to participate in these skin and cosmetic trends. As I mentioned before, I am an esthetician who has dabbled in chemical peels and lip filler herself — everyone, especially women, should do whatever they want to feel beautiful in a society that is constantly telling them that they are not.
With that being said, we must remember and constantly reevaluate how our preconceived notions that are constructed under the patriarchy are evolving. Choice will always be the standard, but we must make sure to understand how our choices have consequences that may contribute to exactly what we’re trying to dismantle.