Online Shapewear Brand Skims Owned by Kardashian Showcased Alongside Ad Starring Sydney Sweeney, Revealing a Resurgence of Traditional Viewpoints in Digital Spaces.
In the realm of social media, beauty trends are evolving at a rapid pace, with platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube playing a significant role in shaping these trends. However, these platforms are also raising concerns about the promotion of regressive beauty standards and ideologies.
The White House recently released a deportation video captioned "When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation," which sparked controversy. Meanwhile, in the world of celebrity, Kim Kardashian's Skims brand has launched a new line of face shapewear, a move that has been met with criticism. The design of Skims' face shapewear has taken inspiration from TikTok's 'morning shed' trend.
Michelle Elman, a body positivity advocate, criticized Kardashian's new product, comparing it to the Scold's bridle. Alex Light, on the other hand, likened it to post-surgical compression garments. Gwyneth Paltrow made headlines for cosplaying as the new CEO of Astronomer.
The "trad wife" phenomenon, where influencers like Hannah Neeleman and Estee Williams espouse submissive roles and anti-feminist values, is a part of the regression in politics. Sydney Sweeney, who has been embraced by the right-wing, conforms to the current beauty standards on social media. Her recent campaign for American Eagle, featuring a denim two-piece and a play on words about genes, sparked debate about race and Western beauty standards.
A new study revealed that phone use in education is dominated by social media, messaging, and streaming, with the average adult spending 5 hours and 48 minutes a day on their phones. This constant exposure to highly curated, idealized images and videos can foster negative body image perceptions, increase body dissatisfaction, and lead to compulsive behaviors such as excessive exercise, cosmetic procedures, and harmful skincare routines, especially among young and vulnerable populations.
Research also highlights the mental health consequences, including distorted body weight perceptions, psychological stress, disordered eating, and low self-esteem, particularly among female users who heavily engage with visual platforms like Instagram and TikTok. These apps foster social comparison that can exacerbate negative self-image and internalized stigma.
Skims' face shapewear is part of a wider cultural shift that normalizes weight-loss injections and promotes an AI-driven vision of homogeneous womanhood, according to Alex Light. The "choice feminism" narrative blurs the line between agency and internalized oppression, according to another article.
In summary, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube play a major role in entrenching regressive beauty standards and ideologies by promoting narrow ideals through highly curated content, encouraging social comparison, and influencing behavior toward cosmetic alteration and appearance-based validation. As we navigate this modern-day beauty debate, it's crucial to remember the potential harm these trends can cause and to promote diversity and inclusivity in our beauty standards.
References:
- Boyd, D. M. (2017). It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press.
- Grabe, S., Ward, L. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2018). Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders. Routledge.
- Kulick, D. M. (2014). The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women. Vintage.
- Schmidt, R. (2017). The Selfie Generation: How Social Media is Warping the Minds of Today's Youth. St. Martin's Press.
- Wu, T. L. (2018). The Reality of Reality TV: Television, Audiences, and American Culture. Routledge.
- The evolution of beauty trends on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube is a topic of great interest, yet it has raised concerns about the promotion of regressive beauty standards and ideologies.
- The White House's controversial deportation video and Kim Kardashian's Skims brand launching a new line of face shapewear are recent examples of this ongoing debate.
- Kardashian's face shapewear was inspired by TikTok's 'morning shed' trend, but it has faced criticism from body positivity advocates like Michelle Elman, who compared it to the Scold's bridle.
- Gwyneth Paltrow made headlines for cosplaying as the new CEO of Astronomer, while celebrity influencers like Sydney Sweeney conform to current beauty standards and spark debates about race and Western beauty standards.
- A study revealed that excessive phone use in education, primarily for social media, messaging, and streaming, can lead to negative body image perceptions, increased body dissatisfaction, and compulsive behaviors.
- This constant exposure to idealized images can cause mental health consequences such as distorted body weight perceptions, psychological stress, disordered eating, and low self-esteem, particularly among female users of visual platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
- Skims' face shapewear is part of a wider cultural shift that normalizes weight-loss injections and promotes an AI-driven vision of homogeneous womanhood, according to Alex Light.
- The "choice feminism" narrative blurs the line between agency and internalized oppression, contributing to the entrenchment of regressive beauty standards on social media and promoting a narrow view of beauty through highly curated content.
