While current skin care routines are not nearly as extreme as the Victorian era’s, I don’t think it’s unfair to say that similar to the Victorian era, in today’s day and age there is a blend of genuinely healthy skin care practices and viral skin care trends that have more to do with buying a new product than leading a healthy lifestyle. Take the aforementioned tweens who stormed the Sephoras. While it isn’t out of the ordinary for this age group to have a sudden fascination with beauty and skin care, it seemed to me that these preteens’ rampant desire for Drunk Elephant or Glossier products had less to do with wanting healthy skin, and more to do with the allure of owning these coveted products – products they most likely saw on their social media feeds.
This isn’t to blame or judge these preteens – or any age group who take part in skin care trends for that matter. I’ve taken part too. We’re all susceptible to influence. It’s hard to resist the desire to have the new thing. But what I find tricky about skin care, as well as other health related practices such as dieting, is that when they converge with consumerism and trends we are at risk of putting products over our wellbeing. I think it’s important to remind ourselves, especially in the digital age when trends move at a heftier speed than ever before, that your mental and physical wellbeing should never be determined by what kind of product or practice is popular online. While many trends can be harmless and fun, long term health is achieved through healthy habits and mindsets, not products.
Strike Out,
Georgia Witt
Editors: Amia King, Kaya O’Rourke
Saint Augustine
Georgia Witt is a blog writer and poet for Strike Magazine, Saint Augustine. She loves reading, writing, fashion, nature, and collecting CDs. She hopes to work in the publishing or journalism field after college. You can reach her at georgiawitt3000@gmail.com.
