First Year Seminar 2 Visual Culture
Yaning Hu Spring 2024
Bridge 2: Personal Lexicon
9. Before delving into the significance and role that makeup holds in our modern society, let’s travel back in time to the origins of makeup. The invention of makeup can be traced all the way back to 6000 BCE in Egypt. However, its purpose differed significantly from its contemporary role. An article from the Halifax Public Library explains that makeup was initially “created as they believed makeup was next to godliness and that it appealed to the Gods; both men and women of all social classes wore makeup” (HPL). It’s ironic when compared to our present day society, where makeup has evolved as a symbol of femininity and isn’t widely accepted for men. Yet, when makeup was first invented, “makeup was used by Egyptian men to showcase their masculinity” (utexas). Learning about this surprised me greatly because today, we perceive makeup as a distinctly feminine symbol. As far as I know, cosmetics have traditionally targeted female con sumers, with “15% of heterosexual men (aged 18 to 65) in the US currently use male cosmetics and makeup” (ETN).
10. Nowadays, makeup has already become an essential part of daily life for many people. There are many reasons why people use makeup. One of the main reasons is to enhance their beauty. People use foundations and concealers to cover up dark spots, aiming to achieve flawless skin. They use contour to create more defined facial features, and they also use mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow to add colours and depth to their eyes.
1. The makeup industry is currently one of the biggest markets. According to research, “The global beauty industry market size is set to be worth $646.2 billion in 2024” (Oberlo). Many celebrities and social media influencers have launched their own makeup brands because of the lucrative nature of the makeup industry. I believe that one of the biggest factors contributing to the success of the makeup industry is the perfect, stunning image created through advertisements that attract consumers to purchase their products.
This graph shows the beauty industry size through out the years and predictions for the next five years.
2. One of the sentimental factors that contribute to the success of the makeup industry is pricing. Certainly, there are many luxury makeup brands. However, most makeup products on the market typically cost between less than 10 dollars and up to around 100 dollars at most. Therefore, when consumers want to satisfy their needs, a makeup product is usually comparably more affordable and becomes their first choice for purchase.
3. A well-known economic theory, the lipstick effect, essentially explains that during economic downturns, consumers tend to purchase smaller luxury items like lipsticks rather than more expensive luxury products such as handbags. According to research, “they do not have enough to spend on big-ticket luxury items; however, many still find the cash for purchases of small luxury items, such as premium lipstick” (Investopedia). For instance, during the Great Recession of 2008, “while many companies were shutting down, the beauty industry remained stable” (Lash and Company). This example further demonstrates the resilience of the beauty industry.
4. The Lipstick effect not only appears during an economic crisis but also targets middle to lower class consumers. Similar to the fashion industry, there are luxury makeup brands. However, even makeup from luxury brands, when compared to fashion garments, is a lot more affordable. For example, while a Chanel handbag may cost $10,000, a Chanel lipstick is only $48. Therefore, for those who cannot afford a luxury handbag but still fantasize about the brand, they can make the choice to purchase makeup products as an alternative means to satisfy their illusion about the brand.
They are both from the same brand, but the listick only costs $45 and the hangbag costs $5300
17. After roughly calculating the amount of money I spend on purchasing makeup, I realized that I spend around $100 on makeup each month. Most of the products I spend money on are lip products, such as lip gloss, lipsticks, and lip oil. Other makeup products I purchase include foundation, concealer, mascara, eyelash curler, eyeliner, eyeshadow, highlighter, blush, and contour.
18. For most of the products, I own more than just one of them. This also happens to all the other people I have asked who use makeup on a daily basis or at least a few times a week. However, if we compare makeup to clothes, different clothes that we buy usually have a clear difference when we put them on, but sometimes the result of different makeup products, such as foundation, mascara, and contour, usually has a very similar look. Especially since makeup has an expiration date.
36. Social media is also one of the main factors that have contributed to the success of the makeup industry. Nowadays, social media is one of the most essential parts of individuals’ lives. There are hundreds of different social media platforms created for us to accomplish various activities. Our lives are almost surrounded by social media. We use social media to contact others, find entertainment, learn news, and just to pass the time. Social media connects everyone around the world. “Research from GWI reveals that the “typical” social media user now spends 2 hours and 23 minutes per day using social platforms” (datareportal). Therefore, through social media, makeup cosmetics have been able to spread to the audience much faster and wider, which brings various pros and cons to us.
37. Through social media, makeup companies are able to spread their advertisements more easily and quickly across multiple platforms. They achieve this by securing advertising spots across different platforms, creating accounts to post content related to their products, and collaborating with other influencers to promote their products. As a result, customers can discover numerous new makeup brands and products more easily, without the need to search or navigate through multiple brand websites.
49. Makeup brands often like to send products and compensate numerous social media influencers across multiple platforms to promote their products. Given the widespread popularity of social media today, people tend to gravitate toward trending makeup products and place greater trust in the recommendations of established makeup influencers when making purchasing decisions. Therefore, paying influencers or sending products to them proves to be highly beneficial for makeup brands seeking to increase their profits.
40. Social media platforms also provide a chance for makeup products to go viral. Products such as the Summer Friday lip balm, Rare Beauty blush, and Urban Decay glitter eyeshadow have all gone viral on TikTok. Even Vogue posted an article discussing the viral makeup and skincare products on TikTok in 2023, highlighting the influence of social media on the beauty industry. Being well known on social media platforms like TikTok is beneficial for both companies and consumers. For companies, it means increased profits, while for consumers, it means easier access to high-quality products without wasting time and money on lower quality ones.
39. Social media not only helps with the spread of makeup but also assists individuals learning about different products, discovering makeup styles that complement them, and finding inspirations for new makeup looks. Platforms like YouTube often feature long makeup tutorial videos, which are beneficial for newcomers to learn, while TikTok and Instagram frequently showcase short, inspirational videos ideal for discovering new makeup styles. Moreover, social media platforms offer opportunities to generate viral makeup trends. Recently, makeup trends such as the latte makeup, Douyin makeup, clean girl makeup, and mob wife makeup have gained widespread recognition.
14. I am a part of the cosmetics consumers in our society. I started wearing makeup in middle school. As a beginner to makeup, I didn’t really know which products I was supposed to be using, so the most I would do is apply lip tint and a little bit of eyeshadow for fun. Starting from high school, I
fessional expectations.
34. The extreme beauty standards are one of the biggest reasons why women feel compelled to wear makeup. A study shows that “public self-consciousness is positively related with cosmetic use. Because many women who lack self-esteem are also self conscious, it makes sense that adornments are used to blend into a world of beauty these self-conscious women do not fit into”(unh). For women who are conscious of the fact that they are not considered societally pretty, they may decide to wear makeup to fit into the absurd beauty standard.
33. Women are also pressured into wearing makeup due to professional expectations. “It’s clear that many women are pressured into wearing makeup at work. For some women, this pressure is explicit and comes from management, co-workers or customers”(allure). Whether they work in customer service or offices, women are always expected to wear makeup in order to present themselves better.
35. In a society where individuals often compare themselves to others “as a way of measuring their personal development”(pschologytoday), beauty insecurities are also created. Research suggests that “facial comparisons may be common among young women’’(sciencedirect). Naturally, women compare themselves to others who are conventionally good-looking, which creates pressure for them to try to look better.
19. Since makeup is so commonly used and seen everywhere in our daily lives, I conducted interviews with five different people to understand their opinions on makeup. I found individuals who use makeup daily, those who use it less frequently, and people who don’t use makeup at all.
20. Person 1:
How often do you use makeup: I don’t use makeup
Why did you decide to use/not use makeup: As a guy, it’s not a very common thing to do. All the people around me do not use makeup. It’s also very time consuming and I wouldn’t know where to start and how to use it.
Why did you decide to use/not use makeup: I just gradually started doing makeup by the influence of people around throughout middle school and highschool. I also really liked to watch makeup artist’s youtube videos. How much money do you spend on makeup each month and what products do you use: I spend around a hundred dollars a month on makeup. I use foundation, concealer, contour, eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, and setting powder. Pros and cons of makeup to you: For me I think it makes me look a lot prettier however I spend too much money on makeup, which I’m trying to limit myself doing recently.
25. In general, people think makeup can elevate their looks and boost their confidence. However, at the same time, it is time consuming, causes skin issues like acne breakouts, and also costs lots of money for individuals to purchase makeup products each month.
27. The more insecure one is about their appearance, the more makeup they buy to cover it up. Hence, did make up companies try to promote beauty insecurities on purpose in order to make profits? “Cosmetic companies care about making money, not the well-being and men tal health of women. They create unrealistic beauty stan dards to sell their products, convincing us that we must constantly improve our appearances to be accepted and loved”(smartmuslima). Through the images that cosmetic companies promote in their advertisements, they always show us women with flawless skin and exquisite facial features. Thus, as beauty standards are created through these advertisements, they can easily create beauty inse curities in the audience. Research shows that “consum ers who believe they are unattractive will rely heavily on adornments as compensatory tools”(unh). Therefore, it creates a perfect chance for companies to increase sales.
29. Through a poll conducted by YouGov about how and why women wear makeup, with 1000 US citizen participants, it’s shown that “the largest share (49%) say they wear it for a confidence boost, and 45% say it is for special occasions. About one-third say they wear it to enhance certain features (34%) and nearly as many say they wear makeup to cover blemishes (30%)”(yougov). Whether it’s the poll, interviews, or research, when we ask people around us why they use makeup, we can always hear an answer saying that makeup helps them to be more confident about themselves, which makes me feel so sad to think that “we need makeup to feel confident to
38. Social media is not only utilized by adults but also by teenagers and even younger individuals. As it is widely acknowledged, “children are particularly vulnerable to adverse health risks associated with makeup and body products’’(NIH). However, the pervasive influence of so cial media has led to younger generations being increas ingly influenced by makeup trends and starting to use makeup products at a very young age. Research indicates that “especially with the rapid boom of social media, the beauty industry is seeing a growing number of young consumers entering the market. The world is becoming smaller with such interconnectedness of social media platforms’’(lashandcompany).
41. Social media promotes the extreme standards of beauty, with features like symmetrical faces, slim noses, plump lips, glossy skin, sharp jawlines, and large, wide eyes. Many influencers, celebrities, and individuals post photos and videos of themselves in pursuit of public recognition or compliments, promoting these standards with additional filters and Photoshop edits. Research has shown that “comparisons are a normal part of human cognition”(NYU). Consequently, these idealized images contribute to increased appearance dissatisfaction among viewers, leading people to use makeup to adhere to beau-
30. The ridiculous beauty standards created through advertisements, collaborations, and campaigns by cosmetic companies often convey the message that “the beauty industry tells us that we need to wear makeup, get cosmetic procedures, and use other products to fix our perceived imperfections”(smartmuslima). At times, applying makeup can feel like a necessity, as my bare face is considered insufficiently perfect, therefore requires enhancement.
magazines. The advertisements are often featuring models with idealized images of beauty showcasing flawless skin, perfect facial proportions, and perfectly applied cosmetics. In this way, to target women who are aiming to achieve extreme beauty standards.
50. Makeup brands also prefer to collaborate with celebrities, whether it is as a brand ambassador or to produce a special edition with the artist. For instance, Danna Poala serves as the brand ambassador of MAC, and Anya Taylor-Joy as the ambassador for Dior beauty. Celebrities typically already have a large fanbase. In this case, ambassadors help brands gain more exposure on the internet. Additionally, brand ambassadors serve as the face of the brand, influencing those who admire the celebrity to develop a positive impression of the brands.
7. Since the makeup industry is so successful, some celebrity makeup brands are slowly rising, such as “Kylie Cosmetics (worth $1.2 billion, Dhs 4.4 billion) and Fenty Beauty (worth $2.8 billion, Dhs 10 billion)”(grazia). The success of a few celebrity makeup brands has led more and more celebrities, makeup artists, and social media influencers to launch their own brands. Some well-known brands launched by celebrities include Fenty Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics, Rare Beauty, Haus Labs, and Rhode. The reason celebrity makeup is often very successful is not only because celebrities already have a large fan base, but also because the perfect beauty images promoted by celebrities attract many people to purchase their products to achieve the same level of beauty as the celebrities.
8. One of the most successful celebrity makeup
ics. When she first launched her Kylie Lip Kit, “each of the $29 shades were sold out almost immediately post-launch”(andsimple), which
5. The success of the makeup market also gave rise to opening up millions of makeup retail stores worldwide. Within the distance of 1 kilometre from the New school, I could find 14 makeup retail stores by searching on google map. I believe that there are definitely more than 14 that did not show, whether because the name of the store did not occur to be related under the category since I had to search up a few specific stores’ names, or because they are newly opened and not yet shown on the map.
6. One of the most successful beauty retail stores all over the world is Sephora. Within the distance of 500 metres from Parsons, there are two Sephora stores already. Sephora owns “over 2,700 stores in 35 countries worldwide, with an expanding base of over 500 stores across the Americas, and a world-class ecommerce site”(Sephora). Through the 2023 annual results released by LVMH, it’s shown that Sephora has “reached €17.9 billion in revenue, a +25% organic growth from last year”(Forbes).
Cuidian (Huadian with green pigments)
Huadian with pearl during Song dynasty
Three whites makeup (sanbaizhuang)
Tang dynasty ‘s makeup. It’s a lot more pigmented and bold tha the others.
