Why are all young girl suddenly good looking?

[PodcastFunFair]

I'm 40 in the 90s I was reasonably attractive by 90s standards.
I was a size 12 blond curly hair, outfit deom topshop and put on nice make up with some Charlie perfume.
I look at my nieces all identikit long smooth hair, make up perfectly put on with false eyelashes, tiny sized, super stylish all could be models from their insta accounts as could their mates is everyone better looking these days or better tools?
Do I need a make up tutorial from one of them so I'm not such an old dog 😂

It's not all of them, I can barely get my 13 year olds to brush their h as their hair or shower!

I was a teenager in the 90’s and there was so much pressure to be sooo thin! Think Kate Moss and the whole “heroin chic” look.. I look around at the teenage girls I know / see now and it’s much more acceptable to be curvy. That can only be a good thing.
But yes, also better access to better products, and the knowledge of how to use them, YouTube tutorials, etc.

youth is beautiful, for most people its the best we are going to look.

@Lifeisnteasy I think British women in the 1950s look so lovely..they dressed well too!

@EllaPaella £30 in 2022 has the equivalent value of £15 in 1995...don't know how much Estée Lauder cost in 1997 but in general consumer goods are relatively cheaper than in the 1990s. My MIL was telling me she could not afford to buy her wedding dress from Monsoon in 1989 as it was around £500. I was also looking for my wedding dress in monsoon, it still costs _£500, you can even get one for £300 in the sale. So prices have effectively halved! I wish the same was true for housing/university fees but it's the exact opposite!

I'm curious how many hours per year is spent looking this way and cost per year?
Women still make less than men. We're still indoctrinated from a young age to spend all this time and money in our appearance.

I love it all !! Simply because it's the look of the time isn't it, when I look back at photos from the early 2000s you can tell what time that is from, and before that the 90s, 80s etc. I use to spend hours before a night out slapping on the foundation and making up a Smokey eye!! Using straighteners ( as they had started to make an appearance) to iron my hair to an inch of its life,
Ringing up night clubs to ask if they would let you in wearing jeans ( usually let you in on a Friday but not a Saturday!!!??) Everyone looked like kat Slater !! In 10 years there will be a different look, hopefully less filters as it's portraying a make believe image and that might end up damaging a lot of young people's confidence x

@RantyAunty I used to have a theory that women in countries with high economic inequality wear more makeup and spend more time/money on their appearance. I.e. countries.like USA, UK, Brazil, Russia, Iran..outlier would be Japan, I suppose which has a largely middle class society but a real gender inequality problem (women often don't work after they marry so getting a rich man is quite important). But I thought it was always linked more to economic inequality due to the economic phenomenon that lipsticks sales jump during a recession (this was found during the Great depression). At times when there is real economic hardship, women are more likely to focus on their looks to land a mate or a job, both of which would help her out of economic duress.in countries with high economic inequality, the 'ruling class' is always older men who respond well to youthful beautiful women and perhaps prize beauty above other qualities.

In Scandinavian countries and German countries which are more egalitarian/socialist, there is a more robust safety net so women don't feel the need to go above and beyond and are just more content to be themselves. No need to appeal to some rich men. I used to associate the TOWIE look with aspiring football players' girlfriends. Arguably, that is a very quick way to get yourself a Mcmansion assuming you don't divorce. But in a society where your basic needs are met and most have a comfortable standard of living (this was the case in Germany in the past, less so now), this prospect is less attractive to many women.

Pregnancy is a protected characteristic. You would be acting illegally discounting her because she is pregnant.

My DD doesn't do the whole straight hair, lots of makeup thing but she has never followed the crowd.

[quote onlychildhamster]@RantyAunty I used to have a theory that women in countries with high economic inequality wear more makeup and spend more time/money on their appearance. I.e. countries.like USA, UK, Brazil, Russia, Iran..outlier would be Japan, I suppose which has a largely middle class society but a real gender inequality problem (women often don't work after they marry so getting a rich man is quite important). But I thought it was always linked more to economic inequality due to the economic phenomenon that lipsticks sales jump during a recession (this was found during the Great depression). At times when there is real economic hardship, women are more likely to focus on their looks to land a mate or a job, both of which would help her out of economic duress.in countries with high economic inequality, the 'ruling class' is always older men who respond well to youthful beautiful women and perhaps prize beauty above other qualities.

In Scandinavian countries and German countries which are more egalitarian/socialist, there is a more robust safety net so women don't feel the need to go above and beyond and are just more content to be themselves. No need to appeal to some rich men. I used to associate the TOWIE look with aspiring football players' girlfriends. Arguably, that is a very quick way to get yourself a Mcmansion assuming you don't divorce. But in a society where your basic needs are met and most have a comfortable standard of living (this was the case in Germany in the past, less so now), this prospect is less attractive to many women.[/quote]
Very interesting. I think you may be right, especially if you include countries with large gender inequalities.

@RantyAunty

I'm curious how many hours per year is spent looking this way and cost per year? Women still make less than men. We're still indoctrinated from a young age to spend all this time and money in our appearance.

Yes, but we need less food and drink than men so I suppose our basic economic needs are slightly lower.

"I look around at the teenage girls I know / see now and it’s much more acceptable to be curvy. That can only be a good thing."

I don't think it's a good thing that being fat has been normalised, particularly for young girls taking into account that most people get bigger as they get older so if you start off overweight that just makes it harder.

And I don't think that 90s heroin chic made normal women want to look like heroin addicts. The ideal for a normal woman wasn't the same as what you saw in the media ie the ideal in real life would have been a contemporary size 10 rather than an 8 or 6.

@Gwenhwyfar I’m not sure.. I’m 40 this year and the pressure was definitely to be super skinny, I was a size 10 (probably a modern 8 accounting for vanity sizing) and definitely felt fat! So I think the modern trends for women with breasts / hips / bums is probably healthier. Although I agree that obesity is a very real problem.

I am not sure they are all good looking!

However - I think they are all much more conscious of fashion and presentation …more knowledgable and more skilled in application with access with more products at cheaper prices

In other words - it is something they are bimbarded with and find tough to ignore

This may also mean young girls today are likely to feel less confident about being themselves, rejecting the pressures of social media or pursuing any dreams other than image based ones…

Is this progress ?
Yes it is - if all we care about is huge efforts to make themselves appear good and not actually feel good

The facts are that the same age group who look beautiful are also harming themselves and feeling depressed much more than previous generations were

Covid is a part of it - but not all

I know there are young women who are strong enough to nick this - but it’s not all of them

Filters. Over use of makeup.
Trust me I work and know many influencers hardly any of them look like their photos and no where near model like

[quote onlychildhamster]@RantyAunty I used to have a theory that women in countries with high economic inequality wear more makeup and spend more time/money on their appearance. I.e. countries.like USA, UK, Brazil, Russia, Iran..outlier would be Japan, I suppose which has a largely middle class society but a real gender inequality problem (women often don't work after they marry so getting a rich man is quite important). But I thought it was always linked more to economic inequality due to the economic phenomenon that lipsticks sales jump during a recession (this was found during the Great depression). At times when there is real economic hardship, women are more likely to focus on their looks to land a mate or a job, both of which would help her out of economic duress.in countries with high economic inequality, the 'ruling class' is always older men who respond well to youthful beautiful women and perhaps prize beauty above other qualities.

In Scandinavian countries and German countries which are more egalitarian/socialist, there is a more robust safety net so women don't feel the need to go above and beyond and are just more content to be themselves. No need to appeal to some rich men. I used to associate the TOWIE look with aspiring football players' girlfriends. Arguably, that is a very quick way to get yourself a Mcmansion assuming you don't divorce. But in a society where your basic needs are met and most have a comfortable standard of living (this was the case in Germany in the past, less so now), this prospect is less attractive to many women.[/quote]

This is a fascinating theory. Thanks.

I find it amusing that girls I knew from when they were in year 6 who didn’t want to wear uniforms or conform now do EXACTLY that! I can’t tell them apart if I see them out now!

@Gwenhwyfar

"I look around at the teenage girls I know / see now and it’s much more acceptable to be curvy. That can only be a good thing."

I don't think it's a good thing that being fat has been normalised, particularly for young girls taking into account that most people get bigger as they get older so if you start off overweight that just makes it harder.

And I don't think that 90s heroin chic made normal women want to look like heroin addicts. The ideal for a normal woman wasn't the same as what you saw in the media ie the ideal in real life would have been a contemporary size 10 rather than an 8 or 6.

There was intense pressure to be thin and you almost never saw positive representation of anyone over a size 10. Stupid crash diets were everywhere and eating disorders were almost fashionable. It was the time of the supermodels.

And obesity increased anyway.

A good filter helps with their social site!! But like someone else says it's your perception. I thought I was a grown adult at 16!

What a fab post OP!

I read Jackie and Just Seventeen for all make up etc tips. I now watch YouTube !!!! I'd def recommend it - search your age and make up, you'll never look back!!!

Fake lashes were stick on - hit and miss, now a trip to the salon and wow!!!

I don't get the fillers thing - lips these days are horrid and so are cheeks. Why the f young people feel they need them and both is beyond me.

After my hubby died, I tried filler and botox to make me feel better. Botox was really good and I'd have it again, but fillers looked fake so now I have a hifu facial every 1-2 years. You can even have hifu on hands, arms and legs!!! Seriously if you haven't tried it find a good salon and go for it :)

My MIL was telling me she could not afford to buy her wedding dress from Monsoon in 1989 as it was around £500. I was also looking for my wedding dress in monsoon, it still costs _£500, you can even get one for £300 in the sale

Monsoon in the 1980’s was a much more expensive shop than now. It was really original and good quality. It’s not the same shop anymore.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow I think clothes were generally more expensive and higher quality then. It wasn't just Monsoon my MIL couldn't afford, she got her wedding dress on loan from a Jewish charity where she only had to give a donation; the option still exists today but I think its mainly the Haredi community who use that option as their brides are 18 years old and their parents have many kids to marry off and large guest lists.

Clothes really have gotten much cheaper due to outsourcing. I am not sure about cosmetics either, but when I was trying out makeup 8 years ago, there weren't as many affordable options available for high quality colour cosmetics as there are now; Revolution Beauty which a lot of teens use was founded in 2015.

@RantyAunty

I'm curious how many hours per year is spent looking this way and cost per year? Women still make less than men. We're still indoctrinated from a young age to spend all this time and money in our appearance.

Also interested in this. My granny used Ponds cream. She didn't spend money on all this stuff. We are in theory more economically liberated but there are expectations now to spend hundreds and thousands on appearance.