Buying Beauty: An Intersection of Opression and Exploitation

by Ella Syverson

Walking through the aisles of a drugstore or shopping center, I often feel uncomfortable as I enter the beauty section, strolling past rows upon rows of rather unnecessary products individually packaged in single use plastic, interspersed with retouched images of (mostly white, thin, cisgender) women with perfectly curled hair and red lips stuck out in a pout. Gritting my teeth, I push aside my uncomfortability and pick out nail polish and eyeshadow. My feelings of insufficiency win out against my activist side as I strive to meet unrealistic patriarchal beauty standards along with the vast majority of other women and girls I know. There are many industries that reinforce the oppressive systems of cisheteropatriarchy, capitalism, and environmental degradation. The beauty industry is by no means the only, or even the most important target (I’d argue that the real fight is against the fossil fuel industry), but it is an excellent starting point to understand these intersecting oppressions, and the power by which they flourish.

The concept of beauty itself is riddled with oppression. It is a relative term that has evolved and changed over time, that has meant different things to different people and to different cultures. In America today, beauty means thinness, whiteness, youth, gender conformity, and being able bodied. In other words, to be beautiful is to look like the people with the most power. Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder, it is in the eye of the white man, including the eye of (majority white and male) board members and executives of beauty companies.

We live in a society that values appearance as a measure of worth, where having black or brown skin or expressing your gender identity can spell a death sentence, where size or type of body you have can determine how much respect others afford you. Beauty is not flippant, which is why it is so easily exploited by corporations. Many women feel that they will be treated differently if they choose not to wear makeup, in dating, at work, on social media, and this is not an unfounded fear. Additionally, when our concept of beauty is so heavily informed by advertising, TV/movies, and social media that idolizes shiny blond hair, clear light skin, and long dark lashes it can be difficult to view yourself as beautiful if you’re not checking those boxes. The process of unlearning beauty standards is a long one, and therefore I believe it’s an unnecessary burden to place on an individual woman. The problem is systemic. The problem is patriarchy.

That said, beauty products (especially makeup) can also be a valuable form of self expression for some, especially within the LGBTQ+ community. These ideas are not mutually exclusive. Expressing yourself through makeup can be empowering for some, while for others it might feel like an imposed financial burden that costs them hours of valuable time. Regardless, for the beauty industry to be a truly inclusive method for self expression, we would have to see foundations in all skin colors, marketing to all genders, and diversity in models. Most importantly, we would see beauty products not as a necessity of life, but as an optional form of creativity. Even in this world, however, problems remain.

The environmental impact of the beauty industry borders are horrific. Skin care products come in plastic tubes that get thrown in landfills. Eye shadow contains glitter made of microplastics that pollute the ocean. Hairspray comes in aerosol cans that emit volatile organic compounds and are difficult to recycle. Almost every beauty product I can think of has single use plastic packaging. The Guardian reports that the cosmetics industry alone produces 120 billion units of plastic per year globally, most of which are not easily recyclable. Plastic itself also has a huge carbon footprint. Carroll Muffett, head of the Center for International Environmental Law, says that "emissions from plastics production and incineration could account to 56 gigatons of carbon between now and 2050." According to NPR, that is nearly 50 times the amount emitted by all U.S. coal burning power plants annually. On top of all of that, there’s also the carbon cost of transportation. Interconnected with these issues, a Vice article describes the human rights element of environmental justice in beauty: “Few consumers are aware that internationally-sourced ingredients such as vanilla, cocoa and mica have been linked to child labour, modern-slavery and the illegal mining of protected forestland in the developing world.”

Both the environmental and social issues with beauty products must be viewed through the lens of a country in late capitalism. These industries are making billions, and it is for this reason alone that these social and environmental injustices are continually perpetuated through advertising and nonessential products. Corporations are profiting, and we pay the price in pollution, global warming, and a perpetuation of unrealistic, sexist, racist, queerphobic, and fatphobic beauty standards. Of course, the literal cost of beauty products falls more heavily on women, similar to the pink tax. Beauty products, especially makeup, are a fairly significant financial burden. You can spend anywhere from $5 to $50 on a tube of lipstick, meaning that there are varying levels of access to beauty depending on your economic status.

Every time I pull out my credit card to buy yet another moisturizing primer or pair of false eyelashes, these are the thoughts that run through my mind. While I have come to legitimately enjoy doing my hair, my makeup, my nails, it feels almost like Stockholm Syndrome, not necessarily like an innocuous style choice. I settle my thoughts only by reminding myself that the problem is bigger than me, or the individual choices of any of us. (Not that I’m discouraging anyone from boycotting beauty products or redefining beauty for yourself, I’m just saying not to be hard on yourself if you need to straighten your hair or can’t afford eco-friendly eyeliner.) Real change should come from the top, for example by banning single use plastics and requiring net zero carbon emissions, and by having true representation of diverse bodies and faces in media and advertising. Real change should come from redefining the beauty to include all people, and our planet.