Social media has done a huge service for makeup artists everywhere, don’t get me wrong; with sites such as Tumblr, YouTube and Instagram, artists of all skill levels can now show off their creations to the world with just a hashtag and tap of a finger. Before becoming mega popular, these apps were places where MUAs (make-up artists) could unleash their creativity away from the mainstream of magazine editorials, commercials and other traditional forms of media. Now that society has shifted further away from old media, these websites have become a hub for the new mainstream, the new standard for makeup trends today. “Isn’t that a great thing for creators, though?” you might speculate. Well, in theory, sure. Allowing everyone to have a form of unlimited creative license is wonderful, but that’s not exactly what I, and many others are seeing on these social media platforms. Lately, there’s been something a little more sinister brewing on the “What’s Trending” page.
MUAs and makeup users, in general, are now facing a sort of “standardization” of the art form. Global trendsetters like Kylie Jenner and Gigi Hadid (the list goes on), have hopped onto these sites and amassed leagues of followers who then hurry to copy their icon’s makeup and transform their own features into those of their beloved celebrities and role models. Contouring/highlighting, "on fleek" brows, overdrawn lips and eyeliner so long and sharp it can cut diamond are just a few trends that, until recently, had only been used by drag queens and editorial MUAs. In the past couple of years, these looks have trickled down into our social media feeds and have become the new norm and ideal, with not many people contributing anything else. Social media MUAs who once distanced themselves from popular media have now embraced these trends and delivered them to their own followers, spreading this new paradigm of beauty even further. This organic diffusion in itself is not the problem — it’s the constant copying of the same trends and techniques over and over again. In essence, we’re starting to all look the same. Same defined cheekbones, same skinny nose, same eye makeup style, same overly plump lips ... our individual selves and ideals of beauty are giving way into one, “superior” (and arguably fake-looking) model.
It’s all eerily similar to the older (but still ongoing) problem of excessively thin and similar looking supermodels. Young girls, who see these trends on social media are now not thinking so much “Why don’t I look like Kate Moss? but “Why don’t I look like Kylie Jenner?” The lack of diverse makeup and beauty styles online is an unhealthy thing for girls, and anyone for that matter, to be constantly exposed to. Thankfully, several artists are noticing this potentially dangerous trend and are raising their voices against it. Alexys (Lex) Fleming of the YouTube channel MadeYewLook posted a two part series (part I, part II) parodying the over-done trends she’s noticed on social media, while MUA Jordan Liberty talked his model through his so-called “Instagram Makeup Look” and asked for her reactions. With more and more people going against the grain and contributing new and creative content, it’s beginning to look a bit more hopeful for makeup lovers out there.
Lastly, this is by no means an attack on the popular makeup trends listed above, merely a reflection on the current state of beauty and individuality I’ve witnessed on social media. If you love a bold brow or crazy cat eye every once in a while like I do, go for it - just don’t lose your own individual sense beauty in an effort to look like someone else. They probably used Photoshop anyway.
