One of the most important and popular issues Lexie and I write and speak about is the idea of “physically photoshopping ourselves out of reality” by changing our appearances to fit profit-driven beauty ideals. This is particularly an issue as women get older, since pressure to prevent and erase any signs of aging is a cultural expectation force-fed to us by media at every turn. Olay, the anti-aging skin care brand owned by Procter & Gamble, spent more than ANY OTHER COMPANY in the U.S. on advertising in 2011. That’s more than any company in any industry. They spent $357 million, up 8% from 2010, and led P&G to its massive total revenue of $82.6 billion last year*.
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A 2009 Oil of Olay eye cream ad featuring then-59-year-old Twiggy — one of the world’s biggest modeling/fashion icons for more than a decade.
Olay’s misleading (aka lie-filled) advertising bombards us with ageless, wrinkle-free, pore-free, glowing “older” women who have been freed from the ugliness of aging by the company’s magic creams. The UK’s advertising watchdog was smart enough to pull Olay’s ads for being “misleading,” including this eye cream ad featuring Twiggy, after hundreds of complaints were gathered by Democrat MP Jo Swinson in 2009. Amazing! Obviously, Olay isn’t alone in this anti-aging lie crusade, but their new title as #1 advertising spender in all categories makes them a useful and familiar example.Image may be NSFW.
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Getting older isn’t the only thing that puts a woman at risk for feeling pressure to physically photoshop herself out of reality. Procedures and products that were unthinkable just a decade or two ago are now so commonplace that they start to feel like an expectation for many women of all ages. Whether it’s eyelash-growing, cellulite-lasering, chemical hair-straightening or makeup-tattooing, our expensive, painful and risky “beauty” options are endless. Plastic surgery is the most profitable industry in the U.S., and Botox is the No. 1 cosmetic treatment, with patients getting younger and younger. In just the last decade, there has been a 446 percent increase in cosmetic procedures in the U.S., which raked in $12 billion in 2010 alone.
But what about totally taken-for-granted ways we physically photoshop ourselves every day? Where do you draw the line between what is acceptable, appropriate and harmless and what is oppressive and harmful? From makeup and tanning to hair weaves and regular manicures, what everyday beauty choices do we make without even thinking twice? A sincere and thought-provoking question from a Beauty Redefined supporter, Natalie, brought this question to the surface for me. Below is her question and my response, but I want to know how YOU answer this question for yourself. You can take inventory in your own mind or we’d love it if you share your responses here. Let’s make this an open forum for discussing our own individual opinions and choices, but not a platform for blaming, shaming or hating on anyone else.
- What standards have you set (or would you like to set) for your own appearance-related routines and choices?
- Where do you draw the line between what is “physically photoshopping yourself out of reality” and what is appropriate for you?
- Are there any aspects of your beauty routine or future options that you plan to cut out of your life or forego in order to be an example of a more beautiful reality?
Natalia says:
I’ve been enjoying your articles tremendously for about a year now. Wonderful, thorough, well-researched stuff! Now, because these are issues I deal and often struggle with in my personal life, I wanted to ask how you reconcile these beliefs with your personal grooming/beauty routines. I can tell from your photos on the “How we got here” page that you wear makeup. You might or might not get rid of your body hair. These two issues and especially makeup are of great interest — and conflict — to me. What makes it okay, in your mind, for you to both wear makeup /and/ argue that women should not Photoshop themselves out of reality (while working under the assumption that makeup is a way that we do this)? Unfortunately, I haven’t come across much research on the subject. I don’t know why it seems that feminist theorists have not tackled the issue of makeup as much as they have that of body hair and heels.
I’m interested in any thoughts you may have on the subject, and would love to see posts about makeup in relation to identity and patriarchal femininity.
Love and respect, Nat
Lindsay’s Response:
Nat, That is a fantastic question. It’s an important issue that each woman really has to confront for herself regarding where to draw the line between what’s oppressive, harmful, “physically photoshopping,” etc., and what is acceptable, comfortable and appropriate. You’re right, Lexie and I both wear makeup (although quite minimal) and we both even highlight our hair occasionally. We shave our legs, pluck our eyebrows and love clothes/jewelry shopping. For both of us, those commonplace routines fit in with our paradigms of what is appropriate — though we both readily acknowledge the double-standard that exists between male and female expectations.
I think there are two important points of this issue I’ve considered: 1) the reality we’ve grown up in and are surrounded by, where makeup and leg-shaving is a routine and unquestioned expectation. I started both in 7th grade and it became part of my regular routine. In many ways, that choice to wear makeup is influenced by cultural pressures like looking put-together and well-kempt (which unfortunately affects opportunities for speaking engagements and media appearances in some cases) and even attracting dating partners. I readily acknowledge that I am influenced by that pressure. However, to make sure I’m not relying on makeup to make me look like “myself” or letting it stop me from going out in public, I often go makeup-free to places like the gym, the pool and shopping just to keep myself in check. In that vein, I do consider my role in physically photoshopping myself and what influence that has on others. Every guy I’ve dated and friend I’ve ever had has seen me with no makup and looking pretty dang real on a regular basis, and my future children will see my own reality more than anyone as I try to set that example for them.
2) The other thing I’ve strongly considered on this issue is the “if beauty hurts, we’re doing it wrong” slogan that we use so frequently. For me, I do avoid the beauty routines and procedures that hurt me. I use that as a measure by which to judge any appearance-related options. The makeup I wear and the other beauty routines I engage in do not hurt me, so they don’t cross that mental line I’ve drawn. For some, my line might be way too strict, and for others it will be way too far into oppressive patriarchal forces territory. For now, I’m comfortable with my own choices, but I’m fully in support of anyone who chooses to forego beauty routines and expectations in their own lives! I also don’t blame or shame anyone who makes choices that don’t reflect my own on the other end of the spectrum — like cosmetic surgery or other painful and time/money-consuming procedures … (I’ll spare you the rest)
Not everyone is going to agree with where I draw the line or my reasoning, and that’s OK. We don’t need to approve of each other’s choices or police any one else’s personal beauty routines. That’s not helpful. What is helpful is having an open discussion about our own individual choices that may be of benefit to others reading, or provide insight to ourselves into the reasons behind our choices. These are important questions every woman must consider, and we have to do it in advance of increasing pressures (with age and beauty “innovations” becoming more accessible) in order to be prepared with her own solid stance on how to avoid physically photoshopping herself out of reality. Again, I’ll pose these questions, and welcome your thoughts!
- What standards have you set (or would you like to set) for your own appearance-related routines and choices?
- Where do you draw the line between what is “physically photoshopping yourself out of reality” and what is appropriate for you?
- Are there any aspects of your beauty routine or future options that you plan to cut out of your life or forego in order to be an example of a more beautiful reality?
For further insight into this topic, please read these important pieces:
Get Injections or Get Lost: Media’s Options for Women of a Certain Age
Physically Photoshopping Ourselves Out of Reality
* Source: http://adage.com/article/datacenter-advertising-spending/100-leading-national-advertisers/234882/