Nothing to Prove

Why are the girls pretending to be brave online?

Apr 19, 2024

A Q (not) A Some questions I don’t think anyone can answer.
The Full Beat Nothing to Prove: Why are the girls pretending to be brave online?

A Q (not) A

I enjoyed writing the “Q (not) A: Questions for the annoyed & curious BBP reader” so much that it will accompany the weekly essay as a regular feature.

Are celebs finally getting the hint that we don’t want more beauty brands? And if they are, perhaps they missed that we want them to stop selling us things altogether. It’s not just that we don’t want any more random beauty brands, we don’t want their jam either.
Will we ever stop finding random things to hate about our bodies? Not to be insensitive because, as Valerie Monroe writes “I respect her wish to feel better about it.” But this piece on correcting a chin that’s “too big and dimply”, and which the experts in the article know is just fine, is just…Girl.
How is Glossier the WNBA’s first beauty partner? In over twenty years, how have no other beauty brands seen the value in partnering with the league and their incredibly gorgeous and talented players?

Mielle was their official haircare partner 2023-2024, so good on them for turning it on.

Nothing to Prove: Why are the girls pretending to be brave online?

There is another aging trend making the rounds on TikTok. Women zoom in on their faces under bright natural light with text overlays that say things like: “this is what a 33-year-old face looks like with no filler.” The flaws on display are occasionally puffy under eyes, sparse freckles, and unfilled lips. In other cases these women are bragging about their “untouched” or "raw” faces as aspirational examples of aging.

These women are mostly 25-35 years old and have otherwise unblemished skin. Specifically, they have no active acne or post-acne hyperpigmentation, few wrinkles (maybe a little crow’s feet), and slim faces. They are posting as an “eff you” to beauty standards that would otherwise have them hide their minute flaws behind filters, filler, or makeup.

@veganzinga No botox, filler, or facials. I remember sunscreen once a week at best (working on it). I meditate for 2 hours a day, avoid refined sugars, and spend 25-30 mins in a sauna 3-6 days a week. I’m also black. #skincare #aging #veganskincare #sauna #vipassana

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These posts intend to draw a distinct comparison between these users and Other Women™ who have chosen to alter their “natural” faces. Here natural refers to women who have not had cosmetic procedures like filler, or botox, and are rejecting filters and makeup. These videos assert that while they could have fixed/hidden their flaws, they chose to share them with an audience in an act of radical honesty, and by default, beauty. Or, as grace for their virtuosity, they have avoided the flaws that appear with aging.

She is flawed but brave and if you are like her you should be praised for skipping the enhancements and embracing your natural (unblemished) self.

But is any of this radical? That is, (1) the decision to share unblemished skin online, or (2) the decision to shame women who use fillers or filters? No, it’s not.

Recall the “flaws” they zoom in on

clear skin
no major acne
no hyperpigmentation
few wrinkles
slim faces

Also, recall that these women are only in their 30s. I posted the following questions earlier this month and feel compelled to do so again:

Why are so many millennials on TikTok obsessed with having people guess our ages? Almost every week there’s a trending song used as the soundtrack to videos of women telling us we wouldn’t believe it, but they’re 37 and aren’t rotting corpses. What is going on??

Any statement, visual or otherwise, that aims to upend beauty standards should emphasize how and why these standards are structured. Especially when the subject at hand is 30+ year old women, who believe they are morally superior to other women, because they haven’t used Botox on “barely there” smile lines. In her article about ageism and women’s psychological well-being, Dr. Natalie J. Sabik writes,

Beauty norms focus on youth, and normative aging is often associated with a loss of conventional beauty, making aging women susceptible to body image concerns (Peat et al., 2008). Because of the association between beauty and youth, women “lose their social value simply by growing old” (Garner, 1999, p. 4).”

The point here is Ms. Filler isn’t Ms. Au Naturale’s enemy and these videos point everywhere except toward the actual culprit: Ageist beauty standards. Especially standards that would have us believe that at 34 we are no longer beautiful, but we can improve our social status by judging women who have chosen cosmetic enhancements.

Remember Beauties, punch up.

@courtneylillianball All natural is always most beautiful in my opinion 💌 #naturalbeauty #allnatural #freckles #rawskin