LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — Beauty standards can look different depending on where you’re from, so if some people consider someone to be beautiful and others don’t, who is? The answer is that everyone is gorgeous. Sadly, today’s standards and expectations of beauty are unattainable. The imagined perfect face and body are an impossible fantasy. 

“Girl’s pressure from society causes insecurity and false expectations,” said Giselle Alonso, a Los Alamitos High School sophomore. 

Celebrities have sponsored or endorsed beauty companies such as Laniege, Elf, Rhode, KKW Beauty and Fenty Beauty. Many of the public figures advertised on young girls’ screens have claimed their looks are natural, but this is far from the truth. Over the years, celebrities have made statements about whether or not they have photoshopped, filtered or had plastic surgery. 

“I think younger kids are being introduced to the internet sooner and exposed to society’s standards. They can then start feeling pressure and try to look older because they think they must look like that,” Sophie Long, LAHS sophomore, said.

Influencers and celebrities target beauty supplies to their young, impressionable audience of teenage girls, who will purchase and use these products to enhance their natural features. This has led to criticism of beauty companies selling and advertising their products to young children. Melissa Paramo, a physiologist in Long Beach, spoke to the Griffin Gazette about the effects of society’s beauty standards. 

“Social media contributes to the constant displaying of what beauty should look like,” Paramo said in an email. 

Many preteens and young teenagers are vulnerable to using beauty items because they have little experience with skincare and makeup. This can cause issues when many beautiful women promote these products and become the beauty standards goal for the people watching them. The audience then feels the need to buy these products, hoping to look as beautiful as the women showcasing them. 

“I see that as really harmful. I think social media can have a lot of great things, but one of the downfalls of it is that constant comparison to other people,” said Mrs. Letterman, LAHS’ Wellness Counselor. 

When so many skincare and makeup products are advertised for today’s youth, there are many things you can buy to “enhance” your beauty. Although these products can make a difference in your everyday look, are they healthy for young girls?

The skincare industry has many products and can be a great way to achieve healthy skin. Sadly many products aren’t meant for young kids due to their strong ingredients and the fact that kids do not have a fully formed skin barrier. Harsh ingredients like retinal and acids can sometimes be found in skin care products, which can threaten developing skin. 

According to Kids Health, young children who use skincare products meant for older teens and adults can damage their skin with rashes, burns and more. The Griffin Gazette asked 22 LAHS students if they knew what ingredients were in their skincare products. Almost all of the students said they didn’t know or didn’t care. 

If my natural face is beautiful, how come it feels less beautiful than my face with makeup? Makeup is designed to cover insecurities and can also be used to amplify features like eyelashes, jawbones, eyebrows and more. Makeup can also offer an escape from reality with fun products like blush, bronzer, highlighter and eyeliner! Makeup and other beauty products are meant to make the person wearing them feel confident and have fun while putting it on. Young girls’ use of beauty products as an everyday tool can feel demeaning to their natural beauty. 

The pressure for girls to be beautiful and forever young is incredibly toxic. Human bodies aren’t designed to naturally have perfect features or a perfect body. So many young girls today have been subject to pressure and criticism from societal standards. This has been a huge contributor to younger children entering the beauty world.

The burden of trying to change your appearance for others can create unhealthy goals. From wanting to work out excessively to limiting your food intake, impossible beauty standards can lead to harmful choices made to look “beautiful.”

“These consequences contribute to a lack of appreciation for their own beauty and always comparing themselves to others. It contributes to poor self-esteem and not feeling good enough, which can spill into other areas of their life, not just beauty,” Paramo said.

The desperate desire to be beautiful has stopped a lot of girls from having confidence in their appearance. These pressures have now transferred to an even younger generation, creating long-term insecurities. Makeup, skincare and healthier food options can be fun to experiment with. But, when does having fun with beauty care and recipes become unhealthy rather than joyful?