The Beauty Industry: How It Could be Stopping You From Feeling Beautiful

The following post was guest written by Eve Robinson:

Everywhere we look there seems to be glossy images of women with flawless skin, big eyelashes, and pouty lips. The media certainly has an ideal about female beauty, and if you don't naturally fit into it, then the beauty industry is there to sell you products until you do. Sadly, because of this many women never truly feel beautiful, and they spend all their time masking their natural beauty with different products. Here are just some of the reasons why you should avoid the judgemental glare of cosmetic advertisements, and focus on the beautiful world around you instead.

It's all about the money

Although beauty commercials make out that they're about female empowerment, the beauty industry is actually incredibly manipulative, keeping women in a constant state of insecurity to ensure that they'll keeping whipping out their credit cards. Despite the recession, the beauty industry is set to be worth $59 billion in 2012, mainly due to women treating themselves to smaller items such as lipstick and nail varnish. It's not necessarily a bad thing to enjoy wearing make up, or to treat yourself to some pampering items, but ask yourself what they'll truly do to make your world more beautiful. They may make you feel temporarily better about your appearance, but doing spiritual, enriching activities can be worth so much more. Next time you're planning to spend $10 on a new mascara, consider spending it on a book you've always planned to read. While the cosmetics will end up in the trash in a few months, a book can be donated, given away, or passed down to future generations. What could be more beautiful than sharing literature?

None of it is 'real'

With all the photoshop trickery available, the version of beauty portrayed in cosmetic ads is about as far from natural as you can get. However, it's not just the final picture that can be messed around with. Magazine adverts for a popular brand of mascara were criticized for using a model wearing false eyelashes, therefore making the before and after pictures completely misleading. There's a disclaimer at the bottom, but it's in tiny writing, and since you're so busy looking at the stunning model, you'd most likely miss that stuff. Avoid disappointment by ignoring these kinds of adverts altogether. If you enjoy wearing make up, then get advice from women in your family with similar skin types, or ask your friends what products they use. It's also a great way to compliment those you love, showing them you appreciate how beautiful they are. Find some more natural role models in real life, appreciating the beauty of each individual around you.

Animal testing and chemicals

It's hard to find beauty products that aren't either tested on animals, or full of chemicals with unpronounceable names. If you appreciate the beauty of nature, then it can make you feel incredibly selfish to use products that are harmful. Although some manufacturers claim to not test on animals, they often manufacturer their products abroad, meaning they can't always keep tabs on what's going on. There are some great alternatives to the mainstream cosmetic companies, and they often offer more natural looking products, meaning you can enhance your beautiful features, rather than covering them in make up.

There are better alternatives

Think about how healthy you look after a stroll outdoors. Your cheeks have a natural glow, and you look relaxed and radiant. By taking some exercise outdoors, drinking lots of water, and getting plenty of sleep, you can make your skin stay youthful without having to worry about covering it in products. Some products can end up being a hindrance. Many women report that foundation either dries out their skin or gives them acne, meaning they use even more products to try and correct the problem. By cutting down on your beauty routine, you can let your inner beauty shine through, confident that you haven't wasted time or money making yourself artificially beautiful.

By ignoring the chatter of beauty adverts and working on your spiritual side, you can begin to appreciate the things about your appearance you love, rather than focusing on the things that someone else thinks you should change. Make a pact to not buy any beauty products for a month. You'll soon realize how unnecessary they are and that there are much better things that you could invest the money in.

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Are you looking for a for a tangible reminder to see beautiful, or know someone who needs one? Check out our See Beautiful™ products (and feel good knowing a portion of proceeds from every purchase is donated to charity. This month 20% of all product sales will be donated to St. Anne's Pet Area at The Lantern House. Click HERE to learn more.