Are Influencers Really That Bad??

“Once upon a time the beauty world was filled with professionals. Hard working makeup artists, well qualified photographers and of course only the very best models; pristine in style, refined in nature. With few in number, most knew who they all were. Instead now we have had an influx of these so called “influencers.” The fact that they lack taste isn’t even the problem, but it is that they exacerbate the issues which were already too apparent…”

Oh and before you ask, there is a distinct difference between what a celebrity is and what an influencer is! A celebrity becomes famous through the traditional means including television, radio and magazines, while an influencer becomes famous through the internet. And we probably already know how things can become out of control on there. Yet fundamentally we determine how famous they become…

But Online it is all the same but Worse!

True. The number of items including detox drinks, skin care products and different makeup produce that we are bombarded with by rich and famous influences seems to be endless. And although very similar adverts have existed long before the internet, the very fact that these are on screen, available at the palm of our hand worringly proves the extent to which we are exposed to this. This not only means that we are being further stretched into buying whatever it is that they are advertising, but we will become more influenced by the unhealthy standards they are also promoting. Because thinking of it, most of us have far more in common with the average influencer compared to the average celebrity even though we know their lives are being carefully staged online. This way we are more inclined to feel like we need to live up to these lives, feeling they are expectations for normal people, rather than someone with multiple people to spend hours on themselves. While in reality we know the extent to which some of the lives of influencers are filtered…

Does anything positive come out of this, or does it foster more hate?

So whilst the internet has seemed to expose us to even more toxic standards, it has actually enabled us to be exposed to a few “real” people as well. Of course this is brilliant as it means that more people can look up to someone who empowers them rather than making them feel worse about themselves, but sadly this also brings about consequences. As an example Jalicia Nightingale has an extremely rare condition that causes loss of pigmentation in the skin, hair or eyes. Of course she had a really positive affect on huge numbers of people, but this is the internet, meaning that she was going to get a high amount of hate as well… Although it is not important that a higher number of people are able to discover their worth online through finding people who they can resonate with? As we need strong people like her to show people who may have previously felt sidelined, that actually looking different can be, and is beautiful! And whilst not everyone may be ready to have a rounded view of beauty, and for a good while hate is going to be an inevitable consequence of the online world, we need to remain optimistic. As in the long run, we will hopefully see a wider range of people as role models representing style, therefore it will enable more to feel happy about themselves.

Can the Hate Ever be Stopped?

This is a very difficult question, as hate in this respect has always been apparent, and it is very visible now. So how is this going to disappear? Well it is important to recognise that there have always been beauty standards, but as society has evolved, so have they! As once upon a time it was desirable to have a more curvy body, then all of a sudden we were bombarded with media telling us to be thin. Now the reasons to this may seem unresolved however it is thought that it is due to the role women played in WW2 to act in jobs which used to be occupied by men. Now this may seem abstract, but the reason for this was that it became more desirable for women to have a body closer to that of a man… But how are we going to change once again? Well it could be said that as many people actually see different types of look of being equal of worth, and as the internet enables people to express it a little more, it means that there is room for a wider range of standards. Obviously the more rigid standards are going to stick for a while yet, and off course the internet is going to play a major role in radiating some of this as well; but it is important to realise it also provides hope…

Conclusion

It is fair to say that the internet and influencers have a lot in common because thinking of it, if there wasn’t for the internet, there wouldn’t be any influencers! Like how the internet enables us to make our lives appear perfectly ideal, it also does it for influencers. This can obviously lead to negative side affects as it can lead people to feeling bad about the life they lead, or about themselves. But perhaps in the long run, our ability to choose what influencers become well known by engaging, may have a very extremely positive impact. We are already becoming more educated on the affects of “beauty standards” and we all know deep down that they do not reflect the wide range of what people really see as attractive. and naturally and quite rightly, many of us are becoming a little fed up. Therefore people shouldn’t be as fast to judge in relation to the impacts of the internet, as we all know that original beauty standards did not originate there and if anything it enables us to be more open to what they should now mean.