BEAUTY MAXXING.

The commercialisation of insecurities.

Every generation has had its own idea of beauty and like the other eras that came before ours, we are no different.

The other day, I was mindlessly scrolling on Instagram when I came across a video where the person was doing a hair, face and body care routine and I remember thinking to myself “At what point does it feel like enough?”

Because on most days, it feels like your body is a never-ending project. Every few months, there is a new standard to aspire to and, conveniently, a new product, procedure, treatment or workout promising to help you get there.

There is a relentless machinery at work in our culture, and its primary product is not makeup, skincare, or cosmetic procedures. Its primary product is doubt. We live in a time where beauty standards continue to expand, stretching their borders so wide that they begin to colonize parts of our bodies we never used to think twice about.

An insecurity has become one of the easiest products to manufacture. You simply convince people that something natural is undesirable, and suddenly they are paying to fix something they never questioned in the first place.

Like clockwork, we are told we must fix the natural shadow of our dark armpits or inner thighs. Dissolve the fat under your chin. Get fuller lips. Get a smaller nose. Build a bigger bum. Shrink your waist until it is impossibly slim. Lengthen your lashes. Perfect your side profile. Reduce your pores.

Isn’t it exhausting?

The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that beauty standards are not just changing the way we look. They are changing the way we see ourselves.

In this desperate rush to optimize, we are slowly, systematically erasing our unique quirks. I would go a step further to argue that these quirks are our individuality and every ‘flaw’ does not need a correction.

We are a beautiful, complicated combination of all our unique physical traits, and it is precisely these minor differences that make us who we are.

When you look at the world that God created, we see that the genius of creation lies in its endless variety. A mango does not look like an orange, an apple, or an avocado.

Each of them is distinctly different, and that difference is exactly where their beauty lies. Even the trees, which are similar in their design of stems, roots and branches are not homogenous.

It is by these unique differences that we can tell them apart. It is what makes them memorable. Human beings seem to be the only part of creation trying desperately to become indistinguishable from one another.

When we sacrifice our distinct features on the altar of a singular, generalized beauty standard, we lose our very own standout quality.

The smile that leans slightly to one side. The gap between your teeth. The freckles scattered across your nose. The broad shoulders. The narrow hips. The laugh that comes out louder than you intended. The skin that tells the story of your ancestry. The features you inherited from a grandmother you never met.

These are the things that make you, YOU.

We are rapidly moving toward a monoculture of appearance. Everyone wants to dress the same, pose the same, and present themselves in the exact same way. We see this play out in subconscious ways where people who mock those who get plastic surgery will turn around, go into the gym, and spend hours attempting to sculpt the exact same “ideal” body.

We have collectively bought into the lie that there is an apex body type, a single peak of physical worth. Because of this, the timeline for self-optimization has accelerated to a frightening degree. We now have young people barely in their twenties, still growing into their adult faces, already reaching for preventative botox and lip fillers.

But I think presentation should be an external mirror of who you are inside. Yes, we should dress how we want to be addressed, but more importantly, we must dress in a way that is true to ourselves.

The next time you reach for a trendy outfit, a viral accessory, or a new cosmetic treatment, stop and ask yourself: Why do I want this? Do I genuinely like this, or is it simply because it looks good on everyone else? Is this true to my personality?

When you stand before the mirror and find your eyes drifting toward the things you wish you could alter, ask yourself where that desire is truly coming from.

This is not a crusade against reinvention, nor is it a rejection of wanting to look and feel nice. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love the ritual of it. I wear makeup every once in a while, I fix my nails, and I happily participate in the whole song and dance of getting dressed up. My crux is primarily centered on the motive.

Do you actually like the person you are without all these additions?

Why are we doing the things we do? The world will always find a new part of your body to critique; there will always be something that allegedly needs fixing. But you are, first and foremost, the handiwork of an intentional Creator. And He does not make mistakes.

There are endless layers to this conversation, and so much more could be said about the psychological grip of these trends.

But when you strip all of it away, my deepest hope is simply this: I hope that you learn to love every single part of your body. Love the parts you consider perfect, the aching parts, the parts that are changing with age, and even the parts that sometimes make you want to hide away.

All of it is worthy of love. All of it is by design. All of it is deserving of praise.

All my love,

Oreva.