Soap brows, cat eyes, face gems. These are some of the popular beauty trends that have captivated the internet for the past ten years. Trends would flood our social media, and hopping on the bandwagon would mean that you were on the right track. However, with the introduction of Tik Tok, fame is easily attained, and everyone wants to have their own trend to gain traction. Trends are made from either new ideas and concepts, or revamped trends that brought nostalgia to the new age. As a result, a plethora of trends have come out in recent years, but is it too much?
It started off as experimenting and creating fun looks based on Euphoria and other media outlets, as well as focusing on eye, lip and blush makeup. This also became the new set of trends that followed in 2021 with the rise of colorful and artistic makeup. People had fun with eyeshadow and experimented with different beauty concepts. Then there was a shift in the timeline, and people started to focus more on skin care rather than makeup. More natural beauty was pushed with the all but necessary inclusion of a skin care routine. Slugging became very popular along with knowing how to strengthen your skin barrier.
Now, trends are getting simpler. In 2023, the trends have felt more copycat, and influencers have started to take previous trends or looks that come from various cultural backgrounds, turning it into another way of gaining attention. For instance, Hailey Bieber tried to make “brownie glazed lips” a thing, despite black women pioneering the look. The “Clean Girl Aesthetic”, which involves a slicked back pony, hoops and natural makeup with glossy lips has been worn by women of color for generations, often facing ridicule for these same styles. POC have been doing these beauty looks since the ‘90s and they have been an integral aspect of their culture, history and fashion. They are often called “ghetto” or “unprofessional” for it, yet white women are praised for it. Some other trends that fall under this category are strawberry makeup and latte makeup, which are really just sun kissed and bronzy, respectively. There was another incident when “sticky bangs” were a trend which was essentially “edges”, a hair practice that black people have been doing for years.
Trends will always be recycled and reused, however, it’s not fair to erase the cultural significance of something and colonize it because people don’t do their research. The need for fame and attention is evident in today’s society. It’s become so easily accessible, that everyone wants to see how far virality can take you.
Words by Ari Young Sang.
Graphics by Evan Skovronsky.