Revamping Beauty: The Emergence of Diversity in Fashion and Skincare
In these past few years, the fashion and skincare industries have revolutionized how they create beauty standards and how beauty is portrayed. Beauty is no longer one single ideal image, but rather, it is being altered in a way that supports difference. This is not a trend, it is a massive shift of culture that seeks to counter the stereotype of an ideal woman by making every women beautiful in her own right irrespective of her body size, shape, skin tone, ethnicity, or age. The growth of diversity is changing how we perceive fashion and skincare, and it simultaneously encourages women to be who they are anyway more than ever before.
Fashion and skincare have always had inflexible definitions of beauty which they have dictated for centuries. The ideal beauty standard in the fashion industry has always been white, tall, and slim. These standards alienate a significant portion of women, as they are unrealistic and forces them to follow an unattainable ideal. However, as society progressed, the demands for accountability from women towards fashion brands increased. Fashion brands started to change their narrative and meet the demands for inclusivity and diversity instead of just sticking to narrow definitions of beauty that only would fit a few.
The industry now makes room for models of all sizes and ages as well as women of different ethnicities on advertising as a projected inclusive futuristic vision. It is now easier to spot plus sized models in high fashion shows and even in advertisements for reputable fashion labels, something that was previously limited to local boundaries. Companies such as Savage X Fenty by Rihanna and Aerie by American Eagle have shifted how one would consider inclusivity in the fashion market. The lingerie business that belonged to Rihanna is primarily known for its inclusion of all different types of women of all shapes and colours. One of the much awaited changes because it was among the first times, that kind of diversity was accepted in an industry, that has always been known to be closed off.
There is no denying that social media has contributed towards the expansion of the inclusivity movement. Social media applications such as Instagram and TikTok have turned ordinary women into advocates who demolish the established aesthetic. These sites have been utilized by influencers, activists and common people in order to narrate their experiences and urge brands to portray life as it is, not as an ideal image to be hunted for. Social media has amplified the voices of neglected minorities, and brands can’t afford to suppress the need for inclusive representation any longer. Women have utilized their platforms to embrace their authentic bodies including their scars, stretch marks, skin color, and other individual characteristics, creating pressure on the industry to redefine who is suitable to symbolize beauty. The message is unequivocal: beauty exists in a myriad of forms, and fashion and skincare many look to this reality for guidance in the years to come.
With inclusivity emerging as a prominent paradigm, the beauty industry has taken a new direction, focussing on darker spheres of the skin spectrum. Darker shades often used to be neglected in makeup and even skincare items, but brands are now focusing on the change over inclusivity to ensure equal and diversified cherishing for all. Back in the days, Fenty Beauty’s arrived with their thirty-six types of foundation which single handedly carried along the change and shone a light into the concept that beauty is multifaceted. Today beauty no longer sees skin type as a boundary and has introduced a whole range of diverse products that sold marvelously. With the proof of having a sizeable demand for it, the beauty industry has progressively incorporated new ideas, producing foundation, concealers, and powder of various colors and shades.
Inclusivity in skincare extends way beyond simply creating products for different skin tones. It requires looking into the skincare issues of women from different cultures. For example, hyperpigmentation and moisture issues may be common for African women, but not so much Asia or Caucasia women. Slowly but surely, brands are starting to differentiate between the issues and are creating melanin-based products for different skin types. Such diverse approaches enable women to be visible because they know that their specific skin issues, which were previously neglected, are being catered to.
The demand for safe beauty products has welcomed safe ingredients, sustainable integrities, and diversity to the industry. Women are paying heed to the sourcing and creation of beauty products considering how it has an impact on their health and the planet, which in turn has infested the world with ethical brands. This type of cleaning beauty is not only using safe ingredients but also tells the customer where and how the products are made and created. Women of every type all over the globe need products that are not toxic, fortified, and healthy to use as inclusivity is the new motto of clean beauty brands. Still there remains a worrying trend and that is how this movement still fails to provide beauty products for all skin tones and types, but a rough diamond is still crystal clean.
Embracing the aging process as beautiful and normal is another dimension I see in skincare that is considered to be empowering. The depiction of older females in fashion and skincare is not a very progressive field at this moment, but there are some brands and campaigns which are advancing towards beauty representation which includes older women. The fashion industry is casting older women, particularly those over the age of fifty, while skincare brands are promoting solutions for mature skin issues such as wrinkles, age spots, and decreased elasticity. This means that these brands are encouraging women to grow old with dignity, instead of viewing femininity as only youthful and excluding beauty and wisdom that comes with age.
The beauty and fashion markets have had to make some paradigm shifts when it comes to how they advertise and package their products to women. This is entirely due to inclusivity and its impact on marketing in the women’s beauty industry. Instead of airbrushed photographs, brands are more likely to portray women more truthfully, even if they aren’t flawless. This is an important step as it stems from the unrealistic expectations of women to always look ‘perfect’, something women feel inadequate and self-doubting about all the time. In doing so, fashion and skincare brands are promoting the idea of authenticity rather than repressing women, teaching them that perfection is absurd. The standard of beauty maxim, better known as the ideal of beauty, is now a ‘no’ trend, modern us encourages individuals to admire, respect and, yes, love themselves the way they are.
The trend towards self love in fashion and skincare is shifting towards more inclusivity allowing women to break free from the faceted and outdated definition of beauty that was previously enforced on them. The future of fashion and skincare will ensure that all women are heard, seen and valued as products of these fields will be diverse, contain pluralistic elements and above all are authentic. With this, not only future generations but even us are fostering a culture of beauty, empowerment and acceptance that will allow us to reshape the way beauty is perceived.
