The Contradictions of Gen Z Beauty Standards 

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Gen z says that people can be beautiful at any size while also pretzeling themselves into the ideal angles for Instagram and always having the optimal lighting and filter settings.

I feel like beauty standards now are just as rigid as they have been historically but now it’s more insidious cos it’s supposedly, ideally, to be attained naturally. Like the answer isn’t even makeup or surgery (tho ppl still use those things) it’s like you should just be born conventionally beautiful. Your biology should just naturally adhere to the ✨standards ✨

the obsession with skin care though, it's kind of equally horrible to me. like i get wanting to take care of yourself, but it reads like a downright fixation to avoid ageing at all costs and that's like? equally negative? companies are still selling you shit, exploiting every single thing you're insecure about. comes down to the same mentality, same tactics, same but different insecurities :/

as a gen z i think we are lowkey the most hypocritical generation

Instead of being beautiful naturally, we are now expected to look naturally beautiful.

Embrace your natural skin! Fine print: if you have no acne or wrinkles Love your body! Fine print: if you are thin/in shape Tbh I felt less self conscious about my looks before embracing your “natural beauty” was trendy. None of it applies if you aren’t already gorgeous, young or thin. It’s not an accident that most of the ppl who are ambassadors for this aesthetic look the same.

There was a whole phase of life we had to live through where girls/women with makeup vs without makeup was considered the height of comedy.

I’m 24 and my friends who are the same age are already complaining about wrinkles! It’s frustrating because the “wrinkles” we have are natural from smiling and talking. With so much emphasis on having perfect skin, people are getting Botox and procedures at crazy young ages. A few decades ago, Botox was only seen for older women and celebs. Despite the diversity in skin types seen on models, the standard is still perfect glass skin which is difficult for many (including myself as I have genetic skin issues) to maintain even with all the skincare in the world.

Skincare has replaced diet culture. The focus on minimal makeup and "your skin but better" makeup lines has put a lot of pressure on natural skin to look great, flawless even. Yes we have better products, promising returns etc but nobody seems to ask why do we need it at all? Why do I need harvested snail mucin or slather myself in vaseline or cycle through retinol, acids and ceramides all in the name of taking care of myself. Yeah the products may be natural (they aren't) but this level of obsession isn't. Plus all the advertising in the world can't convince me that this isn't generating terrible amounts of waste. All those plastic bottles, little tubes and applicators and what not. Skincare and beauty industry uses the language of inclusivity and environmental care without actually implementing it and we let them.

We preach about body positivity and self love, but we're so quick to make fun of the looks of someone just because we don't like them. Like recently with Dream's face reveal, everyone was clowning on his looks even though he looks like, a normal person? I've never watched him and I don't really intend to, but I felt so bad for him.

Gen Z is a constant walking contradiction.

Nah cuz if someone commented “body positivity🫶🫶🫶” or “normalize being beautiful w/o fitting into beauty standards” on a gen z girl’s post it’d sound so backhanded💀😭

used to be a skincare addict as I really thought the right combination of products would give me 'perfect' skin eventually. It wasn't until I read that subjecting your skin to a million products every night might actually be bad for it that I did a major purge and simplified to a simple, drugstore gentle cleanser and moisturizer (and sunscreen).The thing is, my skin looks so much better now, but I don't know if it has actually changed, or if I just perceive it to look better because I'm not OBSESSING over the flaws. I think it's a bit of both. Perception is incredibly powerful and the perception of accepting yourself for where you are as opposed to always trying to buy your way into 'perfection' is a much happier place to be.

The absolute obsession with anti-aging is really worrying because EVERYONE ages. Even sunscreen, good as it is for protection, is not going to win against father time. I can see these kids having wretched breakdowns when they experience the first set of permanent wrinkles.

Is it just me or do the “It” girl and Alpha dude trope mirror each other? I mean both have those routines, wake up early, grindsets, and anything else that was mentioned. Also Gen Z dudes and girls are completely different as well; in terms of beauty standards they’re fairly similar since Gen Z dudes and girls both try to look naturally attractive while putting in plenty of effort. I’m noticing more Gen Z men getting into working out more, especially teenage men, and usually people who adopt these habits early on carry it out through adulthood. I guess that could be a future video idea? I mean the fitness industry and Gen Z

"moving away from sex sells" Hahahahahaha

For the longest time, I thought not having pimples was an achievement but as I accepted it, it became less annoying.

Honestly, to me it all looks just like in our generation. Gen z reinvented some old trends, embraced diversity and have unlimited access to social networks. But essentially it’s all the same - the youth thinks that they have understood life and are better than the previous generations. Meanwhile millennials are getting older and think that the new generation is terrible and the world is going to hell. Just like their parents did. Nothing is new under the moon.

I find it that now day the gorgeous girl next door isn't enough. The most popular girl in your highschool/ uni / work etc isn't enough anymore you have to be otherworldly

YES! so image obsessed, i have never felt worst about my body

After thinking about this video for a bit, GenZs ideas about beauty can be summed up by this: They accept and celebrate any and all bodies, faces, and imperfections except their own.

The f*** are clean ingredients... So sick of this trend there is no definition for clean cosmetics.. just another marketing practice

Depression/anxiety and mental illness in general are also skyrocketing in Gen Z

What I learned was that it’s a whole process to love yourself: There’s the Body Shaming/Bullying to Body Positivity to then finally reaching Body Neutrality where you just treat your body with respect and love that is matter of fact.

I feel that as Gen Z, we’re almost echoing the liberating feeling of 1920s. However, beauty standards in any age are weird and contradictory because it is created by human beings who are weird and contradictory themselves 🔥

I feel like beauty standards are not the actual problem we should fight against. Beauty (external) is about differentiation, beauty standards are always going to a good fit for a tiny minority. The issue in my opinion is the obsession with image and the beauty as a constant injunction. Ofc beauty standards need to be diversified but the impression of beauty also relies on an aesthetic sense that cannot be controlled that much. The problem is that we literally HAVE to be beautiful. Can't we move beyond beauty and image being at best the most important feature of someone and at worst its sole characteristic? At the end of the day, our image is nothing more that our visual appearance, it probably makes up for less than 1% of what we really are 🤗

This video forced me to watch more TikTok’s than I’ve ever watched before. Seriously… how do y’all stand it? It’s like someone put all of the most insufferable people you’ll ever meet in your entire life on one platform😬

Hmm... I'm not too sure about that. While I agree with (and WHOLEHEARTEDLY support) Gen Z's carefree and more ethical views on makeup, I'm absolutely concerned about their obsession with skincare - particularly anti-aging. I remember reading a post by a fourteen year old who was wondering whether or not it was too early to start an anti-aging routine. WHAT?!?😟

These young people spending way too much time on social media isn't healthy mentally or emotionally. Embracing flaws is completely fine. I feel like if Gen Z stepped away from TikTok and Instagram a lot more, they would find some inner peace. It's perfectly fine to repeat an outfit or to not be a fan of the no makeup makeup look. I had a German class over Zoom earlier today and I just made sure my clothes were clean, hair brushed and tidy, and that my teeth were also brushed.

It's interesting you mention K-beauty, for me k-beauty is "the new white": I live in Canada and many young people who are Asian descendants are popularizing old trends like skin bleaching, extremely skinny looks, wearing luxury brands. etc., sometimes I have this feeling of being excluded for not looking like this or can't afford Supreme or LV; before it was white people, now k-beauty-looking people, and everything feels so unachievable and excluding, money always wins, I guess.

I am genuinely encouraged when I see a greater diversity of body shapes, sizes, colors, textures, etc being featured in highly visible media, but there always seem to be limiting conditions. Like, visibility is for large bodies so long as they're also a, b, c and not x, y, z. I have a large body but not the widely-celebrated features that would "compensate" for it or make it more consumable. I feel simultaneously enthusiastic for positive representation that is embracing more total bodies and also privately deflated that I don't think I'll ever actually see myself represented with dignity.

It's also important to talk about the cost of these "perfect products". Fenty is amazing that's a hill I will die on, BUT- it's expensive and not easily accessible outside of the U.S. In Australia, it's only stocked at Sephora (stores are only in cities), and for a normal bottle of foundation is $49-$60 AUD. Whereas, brands like Maybelline are cheap, found in every chemist, but still test on animals. There's a definite class and wealth divide when pushing for the public to use "perfect products".

its wild being 25 and having experienced both millenial and gen z beauty standards. at the same time, they have so many things in common. like, now we maybe pretend that bodies are beautiful at any size but really what im seeing being classed as the ideal are still once again super skinny girls just like 10-20 and 30 years back. we brought the low waisted jeans back again to show off flat stomachs, we use the skincare excuse to basically expect everyone to have clear smooth skin or else they must be doing something wrong (accuse them of bad diet or improper skincare) , when there's chubby people on social media we tell them they're promoting obesity and what a terrible influence they are. so really, not much has changed lol. Also, I see a lot of body positivity is pretentious and only for social media presence. behind closed door I hear and see young people still talk shit about eachothers looks and bodies just as much as other generations used to, so again no improvement there. we pretend we accep diverse beauty but its just a front, not to mention how normalized plastic surgery is now

I feel like the beauty standards are pretty simple: beauty comes with all sizes and shapes under one condition. You must be perfect

It's all elitist too? The inclusivity is just a false pretense.

There's this paradox of genZ, on the surface they focus on being natural and eco and sustainable, on the other hand, they're the main driving force behind shein and similar brands (websites? online shops?) not to mention apps like tiktok which algorithms promote more attractive people

I have mixed feeling on this. I do applaud this generation with celebrating diversity and a positive sense of self. I'm an older millennial who grew up in the 90's. Back then, anything beauty-related was something to aspire to. Being a black woman, those ideals were (and still are) impossible. Skin lightening was definitely a think, though I never did it myself. I did, however firmly believe that straight hair was beautiful, so I went through relaxers for more than a decade. My parents never allowed me to wear makeup, though, so I never got caught in that trap. I suppose I'm glad "natural" is in, as I never wear makeup now. I DO have a skin care routine that I follow to lessen acne and get rid of the acne scars. They are caused by my birth control, but since I have endometriosis, I HAVE to be on it. It does make me self-conscience about how I look. I wish I had had the mindset that this generation had adopted, that you are beautiful but being you. I also applaud companies for making more inclusive, safer, more natural products. I still see much of the beauty standard is white and thin, though, and I will never jump on any makeup or plastic surgery bandwagon.

These beauty standards have not been created by Gen Z, the good or the bad. They were a natural progression of trends just like everything else. I'm a millennial (2 years from being Gen Z) and ever since I can remember seeing beauty marketing as a child, I've seen marketing for makeup that is ethical, diverse, natural, and expressive, although in slightly different forms than is present today. There is historical/social context for these trends outside of makeup and beauty itself. Many general spaces have adopted these beauty standards although with most new things it's more easily adopted by and more prolifically marketed to younger people. The added consumerism aspect from companies co-opting these more inclusive beauty ideals twisted this natural/expressive/ethical beauty to natural/expressive/ethical beauty you can buy, which leads to a lot of the "dark side" aspects mentioned. And either way, beauty standards are inherently bad because, even if we're broadening that standard, a standard is something to be measured against, fit into. Body neutrality as alternative to past beauty standards is something I am more interested in learning about and is more 'new.' I wish The Take didn't pump out video essays every other day because sometimes they're less takes and more a list of internet observations which then leaves out nuance and intersections historical/social context, which is the stuff I actually want to learn about.

Ah, so gen z are like all other generations... Shocking

My coworker is....23. And she has already paid and gotten botox done. BOTOX. And for what? How can you worry about wrinkles already and sorry, its a neurotoxin. Doesnt matter how little you use, its not meant to be in your body really.

I’m all for taking care of ur skin over covering up with makeup the thing gen z seems obsessed with not aging unfortunately that’s not how that works

Brands can use the words "clean " and "natural" but they really don't mean anything concrete. Also we still put too much value on beauty , why do we have to be beautiful to be valued ?

So... it's not enough anymore that your skin LOOKS flawless, it has to BE flawless...

Good, very balanced and valid critique. Businesses will always try to comvonce you they are your friend in order to adapt and be able to continue selling. Smfh.

With any self respecting dermatologist telling you that your skin best cares left to it's own devices - selling "skin care" is really just a lateral move to push a product. The "values" are really just the dog whistle when targeting the audience. I mean, wouldn't the most environmentally friendly, sustainable thing be to just not buy product which then makes your skin worse, albeit a little less so than GenXs make up and then shower it off again into the environment?

As a 24 year old Gen Zer I just see this and think “your parents pay for everything and you have too much time on your hands” 😂

idk but the way tiktoks about rhinoplasties and tiktoks of girls saying how bad they feel about their noses not being "beautiful" really terrifies me

Fantastic title + points in this video, although I would have liked to see a more nuanced/thorough breakdown of plastic surgery - how it's not only a personal choice and apt to make life considerably easier for some, but how it's also dangerous and holds consequences for not only individuals but communities. Also, I find it shocking how open people are about plastic surgery -- like they're so anxious people will call them out on it that they detail exactly what they nip and tuck and plump? In some ways this transparency is helpful, since it doesn't claim to be reality - but I just find it so bizarre and maybe even more dangerous.

I saw a video recently talking about how we have this idea that if you train like a certain type of athlete, you'll get results like they do, when the truth of the matter is really that those certain athletes get the results they do because they got genetically lucky. No matter how much I train in swimming, I'm never going to be as good as Michael Phelps, because he has some genetic features that set him up perfectly to be an incredible swimmer and have that type of physique. Young people who are conventionally attractive, have good skin, are genetically predisposed to be able to "sculpt" their bodies in the gym, are rewarded for what is natural for them, and then they turn around and say it should be easy for everyone because it's easy for them.

I always love when you guys touch on beauty and beauty expectations topics in your videos, I am 31 years old and still find it difficult to identify with a trend and/or not being swayed by them.....Cheers from Honduras 💙🤍

At the end of the day, capitalist consumerism is still capitalist consumerism no matter where you get your goods from.

This is an ad for "The Ordinary" brand.

"natural beauty" = 3 layers of caked on makeup -The Take

Here in Brazil, every single young influencer had some plastic surgery or other procedures. It's so bizarre that everyone is getting the same face and body, considering my country is one of the most diverse in the world. Seems like only rich people can be pretty, because you just need to "buy" the perfect body and voilà. At the same time, of course, we have lots of "body-positivity-talk" in the same social media. 🙃

As a Millennial with a gen Z little sister, I’m amazed at her endless desire for new clothes.

Gen Z: Celebrates all body types and ethnicities. Yay! Also Gen Z: The most ageist generation. The way they talk about women who "don't age well" is dehumanizing and what's worse is that they correlate visible signs of aging with being a bad person. For example, they'll say things like "she looks good for her age because she's not problematic" -- Gen Z: Embraces natural beauty. Calls it the "off-duty model look" or "clean girl aesthetic". Also Gen Z: Normalizes getting an eye lift, lip fillers, botox, etc. as long as "you can afford it and are honest about it"....not realizing they have subconsciously warped what we think faces should naturally look like, the result is everyone has the same IG face now. They also shame women with naturally thin lips while sitting on their body positivity high horse.

I love you guys I was literally talking about this with my friends yesterday!! I feel like there’s so much more in this subject you guys could’ve gotten intoo would love maybe a part 2?

I feel like we are "overnormalizing" plastic surgeries.. like yeah nobody should be shamed for it but we also shouldn't ideolize it definently not feminist!

This was awesome as always! Such fun 👏🏽

Love if you all did a video calling out how oppressive the female gaze can be…cuz it’s so similar to me…

I kinda stopped taking that shit seriously when they said middle parts are universally flattering.

The thing you said about plastic surgery though... "PS is okay, but maybe not if you're doing to adhere to beauty standards'. Like it was always done for that reason guys, except for reconstructive plastic surgery. People always do it because they don't like something about themselves and want to change it to fit some kind of beauty standard. So that comment doesn't make sense.

We can always count on marketing to find the way they need to spin their product in order to appeal to the teenagers and early 20s. Gen Z isn't special in that way, and frankly I find it terrifying how obsessed they are with looking young and how mean and cold they are about the appearance of people they don't agree with. You only get to be "naturally beautiful" if they agree with you, otherwise they tell you to brush up on your make up skills.

7:24 I felt this on a spiritual level.

People go on and on about "Natural Beauty" but they still wear cosmetics, I have never worn cosmetics I wash my face in the morning and leave it at that. Im not what you would call pretty, I just prefer my natural face. Maybe I'm just weird.

one of your best videos!

The thing about skincare products being bought more by gen Z is that they're available compared to how the market was 10 or even 5 years ago.These products are accessible and affordable.

The beauty standard has shifted yet again, but it isn't any easier to achieve. It still favors the young and thin. The expectation is that you will skin care yourself into looking 30 when you're 60. Wearing sunscreen, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep are the best things you can do for your skin, but genetics are the biggest factor determining what your skin looks like and how you age. No amount of skin care is going to change that!

Interesting video. I definitely feel like the internet has caused us to assign moral/character value to aesthetic (“this is how you age when you’re unproblematic”, etc). The go-to response when someone says something bad online is to make fun of how they look. Not saying that this is necessarily bad, but I do think that frequently being exposed to this line of thinking impacts how we view ourselves.

I've never seen such a generation that is so concerned about look, appearance, be hot and beautiful. All this "pretending that natural beauty is ok" etc. is bullshit. It's like social media, most of what we share is shallow.

I believe in taking care of myself, and a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water activated gel cleanser. Then a honey almond body scrub. And on the face, an exfoliating gel scrub. Then apply an herb mint facial mask, which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.

I feel that the whole thing is very hypocritical because even with the body inclusiveness there are very few influencers who actually promote the real thing and we tend to forget that with social media filters also come along. And the whole appreciation that goes with 'No filter' look or how people with heavy diet routines, workout routines are loved more. People want to love their skin but using lots of products is not sustainable. Skin care routine can be equally followed by using natural materials because not every one can afford them but social media is accessible to everyone. We do not realize that Gen Z is not really inclusive as opposed to they give perception of inclusiveness as I am a part of that generation and I watch my peers everyday. There is a definition of inclusivity that is set with people who can afford that and it kind of means that many people are left out. I love the body positivity, inclusivity movement and the fact that it redefines sexuality and endorces skin care, make up as gender neutral which also include people with sexual minorities andmen who had to follow certain masculine rules, also make up is for self enhancement then something to hide your natural face. But even with everything the norm has not changed, there are still certain standards that one have to follow to feel included. Kate in euphoria had a personality change with the change in her clothing as she started following her friends' but she could not accept herself without everything else, without the armour. Her vulnerability was compromised because she still did not accept herself. Kate is like the Gen Z version of makeover where she was perceived as bold, beautiful and strong when she followed the trend, instead of just focusing on her outer make over if she could still feel beautiful and confident with or without the trendy clothes that her friends wore or the make up like her friends wouldn't that be more inclusive?

Gen Z beauty is being told you're beautiful and that you shouldn't change yourself coming from someone who is fixated with changing themselves (they'll constantly share that message subconsciously) and when you ask them why they'll say it's personal choice even though deep down they think you'd be better if you changed yourself too. That or they think changing applies to them only but then at the same time the others also think changing themselves only applies to them. This can be applied to weight, features, clothing, etc.

I can’t with this Take. The idea that Gen Z is using less makeup is ridiculous. The filters, the marketing to younger audiences - they’re a big chunck of the affordable cosmetics industry! It’s the same old beauty standards. Kids are still idolising the stick thin runway models just like we did back in the day. Everything is just repackaged. One step forward, two steps back. If Gen Z wants to change the status quo, put your money where your mouth is and stop buying the same BS. Support legit brands and not inauthentic idols. My Take: Generation Ego

So not much has really changed?

1:18 OMG they look absolutely fabulous ❤

Not much is diffrent. Every genaration thinks that they are better and more knowledgeable than the previous generations. Skincare has become an obsession. I don't understand the "clean girl" or the "no-makeup makeup" looks. It's like we are putting just as much effort as the "glam makeup" looks, and then we are putting in even more effort to make it look effortless.

I believe that sustainability and clean ingredients came with millenials. Gen Z don't really have the buying power yet, not like the millenials right now... And we are mature enough to not fall for fast fashion, I hope.

"As the most racially and ethnically diverse generation" - diversity has always existed, but only in recent times was it positively acknowledged and stood up for

ironic that people call this an “inclusive era” for body types when now thin is back in 🙄

I can't help but wonder how the gen z it girl will cope when she begins a family 🤔 Raising small children is tough and leaves no time for self care routines. I think every generation of women gets a shock when faced with the realities of parenting, but I worry the shift to motherhood might be even harder for gen z

And the epidemic of BBLs

The EXTREME irony of plus sized people saying skinny people are damaging body images. No they are not, YOU have low self-esteem. By saying "Your skinniess is making people feel bad" is body shaming. Imagine someone saying "your weight is making everyone feel bad." Body Positivity for everyone... except you.

But can we also stop falling into the fallacy of reifying generations by ascribing them names? Millenials were the boogeyman word and now it's Generation Z. These names were created by marketing companies but we treat them as real. It's better to move away from generation naming and talk about demographic sectors (e.g. 18-25 year olds as of today)

I think my Skincare started in my teen years. I was so concerned about keeping my skin healthy.

Wait so Gen Z wants people to be themselves without fear and then criticize people for using skinny jeans? 😆

“It’s a world of this who I am”, yes but influenced by what you see on social media & media in general, it might be true for some people but for too many it’s never been such a censored, contradictory, anxiety provoking world that leaves more questions about who we are than answers.

All I know is that a lot more people were considered beautiful before this generation of impossible standards and constant social influencing came...just because black people,trans,gay made the cut doesn't mean that a lot more stayed out because according to plastic surgery and filter culture,they are now average.

I remember having a few products and then I significantly reduced but I’ve added stuff to my Skincare routine after having a skin incident to heal it and I want to be nicer to my skin.

Inclusiveness in the beauty industry is just the new marketing agenda.

How is gen z the most racially and ethnically diverse generation, if their very existence would require parents of the same race and ethnicity to be members of the previous generation? Or was that just supposed to sound good and affirming, rather than be factually correct?

Whoever you may be, you are naturally beautiful in some way. Work with that first and if you choose to enhance your natural beauty in some way, make sure you do it in a sustainable way.

Its not just a Gen Z thing! Maybe its been heightened in the current years, but these sentiments have always been there.

I was once half-jokingly told to get rhinoplasty and I haven’t done it as of now. Also, I’m kind of ok with how I look on camera. I have good lighting lol

I want to see a model with body hair and hyper pigmentation.

"Clean" and "natural" ingredients is load of bullshit, I too am in the skincare because mine is so sensitive so I have to look after it and plus it makes me feel more tidy and happy with myself as I've always had terrible acne. But that propaganda of clean and natural ingredients is just another way to sell you something.

there is a difference between the pandering we're seeing from the beauty industry and the actual "beauty standard" itself. Gen Z's beauty standard is nothing new - it's still all about the exoticism of anything that is "trans" or "mixed" (i.e.: mixed race, trans-gender, gender fluid, etc.)

It's hilarious to watch this being a Gen z that isn't from the western world.

As long as I can make my lips cheeks and eyes a glitter lisa frank surprise, I love to embrace my skin underneath. Foundation used sparingly to as needed, depending on preference, is the way to go.