When Did We All Jump on the "Anti-Beauty" Cult Train?
Product and brand slugging are now the new normal for social media.
As far as I can remember, when beauty brands came out with new makeup, skincare or haircare products, secretly, beauty enthusiasts would give their usage experiences behind closed doors or take to the virtual world behind a burner page to rip the brands to shreds. Now, due to the “influencer,” there is space to share opinions on popular platforms from TikTok, Instagram and even Twitter — quickly increasing the “anti-beauty” trend.
There are entire accounts and hashtags such as #badmakeup boasting over 188 million views and #worstskincare coming in at 28 million, where an engaged audience is looking to these sections to either confirm, affirm or approve their latest buys for their beauty glam and skincare caboodles. As a faithful beauty consumer, I do agree with many of these takes influencers and enthusiasts alike have, especially when it comes to education and inclusivity that many of these C-Suite and VP-level executives lack when it comes to actively listening to what their underrepresented community members are saying. But, as a beauty editor whose primary focus is sometimes to uplift and edify the launched products, I can’t help but cringe at the gall and courage of the day-to-day influencer.
@morganturnermakeup For reference my skin type is normal-dry! These are just my experiences, and the worst of the ones i tried this year! #foundation #foundationreviews #worstmakeup #badmakeup #makeupmisses #makeupfails #worstfoundations #worstmakeupof22 #worstfoundationsof22 ♬ Blue Blood – Heinz Kiessling & Various Artists
@mualesandro Viral makeup NOT worth they hype😬 #badmakeup #makeupfails #worstmakeup #makeupreview #BeautyReview #makeup #viralmakeup #makeuptrends ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show
The “anti-beauty” hype has even trickled over into the world of celebrity, especially in the wake of an inundated market flushed out with the next drop from our favorite A-listers. Bethenny Frankel, former star of RHONY, is known to take to TikTok and IG to slam a few cult-loved celeb brands, letting us know what needs to be on our top shelves and what to dump. But is her opinion something we can really trust? Are we really charged to trust the take of someone that has money to improve, pluck and pull on anything they desire to change?
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In the world of influential social media, it’s wild to think how one video can determine whether products are “chugged” or “slugged,” in layman’s terms. Even in the eye of the “anti-beauty” trend, necessarily following using this method as a tried and true approach isn’t something this beauty editor would recommend as everyone has different needs, concerns wishes and asks. Do your due diligence and defer to everything else as a second or third option or opinion.
