To find beauty treatments a bit cringe now

[SueSuddio]

For years I've seen the beauty standard rise and rise, do you think we've reached peak?

I don't understand how and why people have the time and money to pay for it all - Botox and fillers are now mainstream, eyebrows now need laminating or tinting, nails are now expensive gels, lashes need extending, blah blah blah, all on top of necessaries like hair cuts / dye.

Now we've kind of peaked & it's got a bit excessive, does anyone else find these looks a bit cringe now? It's not my money or my life, but I can't help but think what a waste of time and money.

I know live and let live but I can't help to take an interest because as a woman I'm a target for these treatments too.

The only ' beauty ' treatment I get is a visit to the hairdressers every 8/10 weeks . No botox , nails , brows , fillers , tweakments here . Am I a beauty - no , would having all those things turn me into a beauty - no , do I care ? No again .

The overdone look is very chavvy:
Big, obvious lips
Fake hair extensions
Big, dark, squared brows
Massive false lashes
Big fake nails in lurid designs

However plenty of people get treatments and tweakments just to stay feeling their best - groomed and polished.

Each to their own.

Society is utterly fucked up at the moment.
Young people in particular, are living a lot of their young adult lives through phones, sending their pictures to groups online which will rate your looks only out of 10 or whatever and give "advice" on what work you need doing.

Doing dating apps and pictures with filters and people getting the hump their date looks very different in real life.

There is a disconnect with actual humans and a pursuit to look like your filtered phone camera version.

I think it's dangerous.

We have teen boys and the conversations we have had with them are nothing like our parents had with us.

Hopefully there will be a backlash against this because it seems that more, males at least, are not even joining social media, and the ones who are are a bit of a novelty within their peer groups. We have groups of mid-teen boys hanging out here a fair bit and the ones we see have moved away from gaming and are playing cards, darts and ball games together. They meet up and go out and the idea of "selfies" is "what would you do that for?" - they don't mind a group-ie or will have a selfie in front of somewhere impressive but just as a day to day thing, it feels like the trend is passing.

Our teen boys are also "terrified" of the made up girls, they seem to be veering towards girls whom are, more gentle, have things to talk about rather than it all being about looks. Saying this ours are not roadmen types in the slightest! Neither are their friends, they seem to be hanging out with the ambitious, top maths set types and whilst they might rib and swear a bit they are very polite and sweet, in fact the "coolest" looking one, and looks can be deceiving, wants to perform in musicals and "is very good at ballet" nope wasn't expecting that! And he's the coolest looking one, so gives you some idea of how far from gansta and influencer they really are. It's a relief in many ways to be fair.

He will be involved with someone one day who will subscribe to some kind of beauty standard, and I'm sure he will shave and wear deodorant

I hit peak a while ago when someone asked me if I was worried about my hip dips! I didn't even know what they were and when I googled it I realised that no matter what I did there would always be something that someone would think i needed to work on.

I've given up, not that I did that much in the first place. I'm naturally slim, have nice teeth, I keep myself clean and that's about it. I'm 47 and frankly done with these ridiculous beauty standards that women are supposed to aspire to, I'm.so much more than what I look like!

Famous people who keep it subtle are a perfect advert for doing it right, and why not improving what you can?

Not so long ago it was "chavy" to change your hair colour, now it's the norm.

I think we are lucky to have the luxury to have cheap ways to improve our appearance if we want to.

I hate the way most young girls look the same. They don't smile in photos, they pout with oversized lips.
I get my hair coloured every I weeks, get a facial 3 times a year as a treat to myself that's it.
I don't think the Instagram look makes women look groomed and polished.

Why can't young women develop their own style instead of being brainwashed by influences

How did we manage to grow up without influencers?

Is it that common outside of Instagram. Most women I know wear no makeup or natural makeup. They do dye their hair but other than that no one I know has lash extensions or botox..Nails yes..

I am 32 and in London. I even feel self conscious sometimes for being fairly vain as I wear makeup (12 products which takes 7 minutes) every time I go outside and often at home as well. I also cleanse and moisturize my face, use spf serum, condition my hair, brush my hair and use box hairdye but am extremely lax about hair removal (usually wear sleeves so shave armpits and legs, trim brows/lip hair v occasionally and never shave down there). And that's all the grooming I do.

I feel sad for young women (and men for that matter) The unrealistic expectation to have perfect white teeth, smooth skin, huge lips, arses and boobs; for men to be muscley. The beauty industry had always weighed heavily on women but it's worse now, and also affects men. It must be exhausting trying to keep up with it all. But I think that's the point: keep them all occupied with those shit and they won't have the energy to focus on other things. I read The Beauty Myth when I was young and it made a real impression on me. It's all so much worse now with the Internet. It makes me sad. I also think they look awful - but I'm old so I would. I just miss seeing more variety and more natural beauty.

It's the usual competition between women who care about such things, although as usual it's hard to tell what they're actually competing for.

Presumably not men, since most men don't even notice such things, and the ones who do tend to be gay.

Might just be jobs and promotions these days. "I'm more likely to land this position if my eyelashes are 2mm longer" etc., whether or not it really makes any difference.

I'm in my 30s, I get my hair dyed approx 3 times per year, and get my eyebrows shaped probably as often, maybe 4 times a year. I personally couldn't be arsed with the rest of it. There are a lot of fashion trends I don't bother with. If people get hooked on the latest fashion trends, that's the way they will be regardless of if it's a more natural look or an overly groomed look. It'll come in waves like all fashion trends. But the thing is the people who get all these things done will probably still get them done but just to a more natural look rather than excessive like it is at the moment. Each to their own.

As for individuality, look at pictures throughout the years, people have rarely celebrated their individuality. When I look at pictures or videos from the 60s, 70s, 80s, everyone is wearing the exact same clothes and has the exact same hairstyle! If anything there are more trends to pick from these days so there is a slight variation.

I agree. Most young girls all look like dolls. Big fat lips, huge eyelashes etc. I get my hair cut 2-3 times a year but my only indulgence is shellac nails every 3 weeks and a pedicure every 6 weeks.

Yep agree with this. On all points!

I do get my nails done from time to time, might have a lash lift occasionally, and waxing but that’s probs the extent of it.

I do think when you really think about it, it’s all a bit mad isn’t it?! So if I go for gel nails, I’ll go and spend time having them carefully put on and cured under a special lamp, and then two or three weeks later, I’ll go back, have them filed off and chucked away and then start again?! 🤷🏼‍♀️🤣😵‍💫

I think more than ever, some people are consuming vast amounts, possibly driven by social media, and thinking it’s normal. It’s not! I've been reading Less by Patrick Grant, and everything he says in there about consumption makes perfect sense and is actually quite sad and upsetting when you really think about it!

I stopped wearing all makeup during the pandemic and didn't start again. Last time I wore it was on the 1st date with my now husband. Didn't wear it on the 2nd and he didn't notice so that was that! It has had absolutely no negative effect on my life.

So I do agree but then in the same way I find it kinda cringe thinking how much time and money I spent putting on then removing makeup (and I bought the cheap stuff) and you think other things are a bit cringe. But I'm sure the people who do them find something else even more cringe. So there's no real right and wrong.

Reading the person up thread who gets tattooed eyebrows and false eyelashes so they don't have to worry about them on holiday does make me a bit sad though. Not sad for them, just the idea that you 'have' to have these things.

If it's done right, you won't KNOW the other women is having botox, that's the whole point.

I don’t know about fillers but I used to do nails and lashes pretty regularly. Then I had bald eyelids and thing nails.

so I stopped. But I did enjoy it. I loved to clack my nails like a witchy witch.

I look at photos of me with and without make-up, and you can see a big difference. It's subtle make-up, I am not into TOWIE looks, but I look older and so much more tired without make-up.

For me, it's worth spending money to look brighter and better.

I don't begrudge woman paying for beauty treatments, the kind of stuff that I would get done is all quite basic (the odd facial, brows tidied, the odd pedi, I quite like a lash lift and tint with my own lashesetc ) and I do my own gel nails.

But I do worry about some of the people who carry out the treatments and how they qualify in the first place. I have seen a lot of bad work done on friends - dark eyebrows on women who obviously don't suit black/dark colours, lips that look out of proportion to their faces, fillers that are just obvious etc. If I was going to get work done I wouldn't go to just anyone.

Not many of them are to my personal taste. I think some nice, short gel nails look good and of course you can’t go wrong with a good hair cut or a facial, but the rest I always think look a tad… tacky (sorry!). Long gaudy nails and gigantic spider-leg-lashes don’t look good on anyone. And what’s funny is it seems - largely - to be those with less expendable income splurging on these treatments. Still, to each unto their own I suppose!

I know live and let live but I can't help to take an interest because as a woman I'm a target for these treatments too

By all means take an interest, but I would say that the extent of your interest should be 'do I want this or not?' rather than 'women who do want it look 'cringe' and are wasting their money'.

You're capable of making your choices and they're capable of making theirs.

I've never had Botox or fillers or lash extensions or any brow treatments.

I do, however, get my nails done because I love looking down at my fingers when I'm typing and seeing green/blue/black/red/whatever nails, and I get my hair cut regularly and sometimes coloured. I also have tattoos. I don't think getting fillers or whatever is actually any different - it's all just things people do to make themselves happier when they look in the mirror, basically. It's just that people have different aesthetic preferences/tastes.

This exactly!

When I look at before and after on small business Facebook sites for local brow treatments it always looks pretty much the same.

The change is only really tiny and noticeable to the person it's done to. It just seems like such a waste of money.

I get my brows tinted every few weeks or they become non existent I have the occasional manicure and facial. I love a massage and try to have one every couple of months. I don't know many people who have more than an a few standard beauty treatments. Most don't have any.

I don't live the 'enhanced' look at all.
But, I've never really been into make up, beauty treatments or having my hair cut or dyed on a regular basis. I walk on the scruffy side of life!

I agree completely that it can't just be for men, and it's sometimes funny the mismatch between couples - the average scruffy Joe with the girl who has had all the treatments going.

As you say maybe for another reason.

This is what I'm secretly hoping. That it comes full circle because of a backlash. Pamela Anderson is rocking it isn't she?