Six words and phrases we should already retire from our beauty vocabulary
The language we use to speak shapes the world we inhabit. It’s what we use to tell stories about ourselves and other people, the most basic building blocks with which we build the Self. Words have so much power over us; often we don’t even notice this, but to be aware of how words shape, heal, and destroy helps us take some of that power back for ourselves.
The beauty industry for instance is mired in a lot of harmful language that we don’t even think twice about using. Some are outright lies, while some are moral judgments. They don’t help anyone, so it’s time to re-think the way we use them! I’m not saying we’re a bad person for uttering them, but I think it’s good to be conscious of our use of them and try to find better descriptors.
“Anti-aging”. Everybody ages every second, so to say that a product or treatment is “anti-aging” is crossing into the impossible (for now). I think it also makes “aging” sound like a bad thing, like we have to fight it or die. We will age. We will die. And that’s totally alright! There’s no shame in growing old. I think that “age-management” or “well-aging” are useful ways to describe products that help us deal with the effects of aging we choose to deal with.
“Flawless”. We are all flawed and there is no such thing as perfect. “Poreless”, “oil-free”, and“blemish-free” are other words that fall in this category. We have pores, blemishes, and oil, and these are okay! There’s no need to put pressure on ourselves to be devoid of flaws because these flaws are simply part of being human.
“Good skin” and “bad skin” carry with them a moral judgment. That, if you have bad skin, you’ve failed to take care of yourself. Often times though, bad skin is just our skin being…skin. Sometimes there are episodes where our skin is not in its best state, because our health (both physical and mental) is just not at its best. That doesn’t mean we’ve failed. When we have healthy skin then great. When we have not-so-healthy skin, then that’s fine too. We’re all doing our best.
“No makeup makeup”. There was a time when this phrase was used as a way for us to free ourselves from the cake makeup of the 80s and 90s - “no makeup makeup” refers to looks that are less heavy and time-consuming. But now it seems to me that makeup itself is on the stand, like it’s done something wrong. You know that joke about how on a first date, you should take a woman to go swimming? If we wear obvious makeup, we’re judged. If we don’t wear any, we’re judged just the same (“You look tired.”). “No makeup makeup” is just extra pressure we don’t need. We can simply use the term “minimal makeup” to describe a less makeup-heavy look.
“Natural” or “organic”. These terms don’t really mean anything because everything in this world is made up of chemicals, and these words are not regulated by the FDA. It’s important to do research on the products we use to make sure that there are no harmful ingredients, yes, but to expect a product to be 100% natural or organic AND STILL WORK WELL is not productive. Besides, just because something is labeled natural or organic doesn’t mean your skin won’t react to them. Each of us reacts to a different set of allergens so these labels don’t really tell us anything.
“Whitening”. This is such a loaded word. On the one hand, we should not be judged for choosing to have lighter skin if it helps us move forward in a broken but existing social structure. On the other hand, we should also educate ourselves on why this is problematic. Whitening products eat at our deepest fears - the fear of not belonging, not succeeding, not becoming more than. I think we should stop feeding it. We are way, way more than our skin color. Whether it’s dark, or uneven, we are worthy of love.
