The not so beauty industry
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The not so beauty industry
From observations within the ‘not-so’ Beauty Industry and as Image Consultant, I have often pondered on True Beauty – the deep essence or natural expression of a woman – and how quickly this gets superseded by the need for a good look.
Every day the cosmetic floor of a Department Store swells with women of all nationalities. Everyone to some degree is looking for the infamous ‘beauty in a bottle’ with many older women seeking anti-aging serums for youthfulness and fullness, whilst those younger women tending to select make-up that’s current, fashionable or will make them look sophisticated, sexy or desirable. Whitening lotions are available for those looking to lighten and brighten, or tanning products to darken. Whilst holding up a smart phone displaying ‘the item’ to an assistant, it seems that almost every one of us is on the hunt for that magical product to answer the call to look and feel beautiful.
With revenues worth USD 379 billion in 2013, anticipated to reach USD 461 billion by 2018, the Beauty Industry is made up of a number of areas including: cosmetics, personal care, health clubs, fashion, spas, hair and beauty salons, plastic surgery, social media, magazines, fragrance and more. The global skin care market alone is anticipated to garner revenues worth USD 106 billion in 2018.[1]
Insanely profitable, the beauty industry manipulates us with grand visual ideals of beauty that we strive to attain. But when we talk about beauty being more than just a look and about the beauty of a person’s essence, it reveals to us that beauty is already there within, thereby dissolving any need for us ‘to attain’ or ‘get’ it.
The billion-dollar beauty industry holds zero intention for any expression of true beauty to be advertised, coveting instead the profitable and seductive art of visual manipulation. As consumers of this kind of beauty we are heavily bombarded from an early age with images of perfection that fuel inferiority complexes and foster self-worth issues. Rarely, if ever, do we get to see the real essence of a woman because there is no money or profit in the kind of beauty that isn’t selling anything – for how can we buy what we already have within us?
No matter how good looking they may be, let’s be super-real – is an empty stare from an expressionless model really sexy?
In my working experience, often that great looking model is deeply suffering internally from rock bottom self-esteem and lack of self-worth. Unaddressed, this often feeds into a wide spectrum of hidden issues ranging from bulimia, anorexia, cutting and depression. All are far from the loveliness and beauty that emanates when a woman appreciates, honours and actually loves herself. This is the opposite of the ‘manufactured woman’ who, after swallowing the lie she’s been fed about beauty, succumbs to aspirations of attaining outer beauty alone, regardless of how she feels internally. When we fall for the not-so beauty industry, we lock ourselves in a prison that looks like a fairy tale castle.
68.3% of models suffer from anxiety and/or depression
31.2% had eating disorders[2]
Not so beautiful.
The beauty industry continually asks us to compare and compete, measure and evaluate ourselves against other women and impossible photo-shopped representations of women, fostering neither true inspiration or celebration, but instead feeding jealousy or sowing seeds of doubt into the minds of already self-doubting consumers as if: "Based on your doubt, how can I give you (or help hide) whatever you think you are lacking and need to ‘make’ you beautiful and flawless too?"
Developing a relationship with ourselves that fosters self-worth based on who we are rather than our outer appearance, changes the way we perceive these constant counter messages of ‘beauty’.
With self-acceptance we create a space to consider that we actually don’t lack anything and in fact have everything inside of us already.
“A woman's body will always be beauty-full to her, if she but allows who she truly is on the inside to model it.”
Serge Benhayon Esoteric Teachings & Revelations, Volume I, ed 1, p 548
There is power in knowing this. Pictures of model ‘beauty’ that exploit a woman’s lack of self-worth and play on the body issues that accompany this are not the real deal. As women, they are not what we truly like or want for ourselves either. The not-so Beauty industry is based on and sustained by our need. So long as we see ourselves as lacking we continue to feed the falsity that hurts us.
It is for us to remember that True Beauty comes from the quality of our essence: that is, the stillness and ease felt within oneself, which brings such certainty to ourselves and the world.
When we make deepening our connection with this inner beauty the foundation of our beauty regime, we start to develop the quality we have been so desperately seeking from the not-so beauty industry.
“Be the woman you feel yourself to be and not the one that has been told what to feel and be.”
Serge Benhayon Esoteric Teachings & Revelations, Volume I, ed 1, p 539
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Filed under
Beauty myths, Fashion, Self-worth, Body positive, Empowerment, Body image
