What You’re Really Buying is Insecurity

Anya Huang '29 Assistant Op/Ed Editor

For decades, the beauty industry has sold more than just makeup to women; it has also sold the idea that beauty is ephemeral. With every new product, the same message is conveyed: that there is something needing to be fixed. By exaggerating traits deemed “flaws” and pushing beauty standards, makeup companies benefit from women’s insecurities by offering their products as a way to be more conventionally attractive.

This issue begins in the naming of beauty products. Take the name of concealer. The word literally connotes that something must be hidden. This branding makes natural features such as acne and dark circles seem like something to be ashamed of, rather than normal human characteristics. Not only does concealer offer coverage; it also offers the idea of looking perfect.

Concealer is just one of many products that sell this idea. Foundations promise a “flawless base,” mascaras ensure longer and thicker lashes, and contour can completely change the shape of your face. Each change these products make reinforces the idea that a woman’s natural appearance is not good-looking enough on its own.

The concept of fixing “flaws” is especially detrimental to girls, who are increasingly led to believe that they, too, have something wrong with them. One example is the rise of “Sephora kids,” girls as young as 10 spend hundreds of dollars on products containing anti-aging ingredients like retinol, designed for adults.

Social media has played a big role in this trend. On apps like TikTok and Instagram, girls are exposed to “Get Ready With Me” videos in which influencers show off the dozens of products they use to maintain their appearance. What makes this trend especially troubling is that 10-year-olds are being taught to "fix" their appearances before they have fully grown into them. Ten-year olds do not naturally fear wrinkles or aging — they are taught to do so.

When children so young are purchasing products with retinol, it reflects a culture in which every stage of appearance is expected to be perfected. Beauty companies profit enormously when insecurity is fostered at earlier and earlier ages.

When a girl is convinced she needs anti-aging protection, she is not just buying one product, but entering a cycle of lifelong consumption aimed at preserving youth. Similar to how concealer ads convince women that acne is a flaw needing correction, anti-aging advertisements teach children to fear problems they did not even know existed. By creating the idea that beauty is always slipping away, companies secure customers who continue buying products out of fear of no longer looking good.

This marketing strategy has not only fostered insecurity among many women and girls, but also shifted makeup away from its original purpose. Wearing makeup is not inherently “wrong,” and, when worn by choice, it can act as a form of self-expression. The problem arises when it is worn as a tool to meet a standard of appearance. In this context, makeup becomes compensation for a woman’s supposed deficiency in looks.

This idea appears in the show "Desperate Housewives," when Gabrielle Solis tries giving up makeup for one night in order to boost her daughter’s self-confidence.

Throughout the evening, Gabrielle worries constantly about her appearance and struggles to feel normal without cosmetics, even assuring people that she is not ill before they ask. Her discomfort suggests that a woman without makeup is presenting an incomplete version of herself. In this way, a woman’s appearance becomes something she has to elaborate on, rather than something she can simply exist within.

The growing dependence on beauty products for validation reflects how deeply expectations surrounding flawless appearance have been internalized While wearing makeup itself is not the issue, it is troubling how both the beauty industry and society reinforce the idea that a woman’s natural appearance is insufficient on its own.

By framing beauty as something that must constantly be improved, companies profit from a cycle in which insecurity feels normal rather than manufactured. This creates a condition in which women are never fully allowed to feel complete, but only temporarily “fixed” until the next imperfection is identified and addressed.

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What You’re Really Buying is Insecurity