Lashes too quiet, thighs too dark.
The exhausting history of the beauty industry’s unfinished woman
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The beauty industry has made a career out of convincing women they are unfinished products, and I am sick of it!
In the early 1800s through the 1920s, corsets made their way into women’s closets, designed to cinch women’s bodies into an hourglass. Look good, breathe carefully should have been the slogan. Then came girdles, originally designed for protection during heavy labour or combat, then later Spanx, all sold to us as “support,” but really just new ways to squeeze ourselves into someone else’s ideal.
During World War II, a shortage of nylon meant women couldn’t get stockings. The solution? Women painted their legs with makeup and drew fake seams with eyeliner. All because it was considered modest and elegant for women to wear stockings, and appearances had to be kept up, even during war. And then in the 1960s, leg hair removal became a MUST for women, as it was considered more feminine.
Then someone decided small breasts weren’t attractive, so breast augmentation entered the market. In the 19th century, Dr. Robert Gersuny injected paraffin to add volume to women’s breasts, which, of course, caused infections. In the 20th century, the procedure involved materials like glass, ivory, and rubber. Then came silicone injections, after that, fat grafting, and only in 1961 did silicone gel implants finally make it into the market. Each procedure carried its own risks.
Someone blinked, and their lashes didn’t sound loud enough, and voilà, a new invention. Enter false eyelashes, created and patented by Karl Nessler in 1902. Before we knew it, Hollywood was buzzing about them. Today, we have endless brands and options. From strip lashes to individual lashes.
And of course, we can’t talk about beauty standards without talking about Black women’s hair. In the early 1900s, Garrett Augustus Morgan accidentally created a hair straightener whilst trying to solve a sewing machine problem. For decades, relaxers and straightening chemicals promised “manageable” hair while leaving burns, scalp damage, and long-term health risks in their wake.
The industry made billions convincing Black women that their natural coils and kinks were “unprofessional” or “unruly.” And when the damage set in? The same industry turned around to sell us wigs, weaves, and keratin treatments as “solutions.” A demand to shrink ourselves into Eurocentric ideals while our crowns carried the cost.
Between the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Pitanguy was “correcting” saggy buttocks using the patient’s fat to enhance volume. BBLs became so common that we are now warning each other about “sit-down air.” I can’t even type that without sighing.
Right around the same time, lip fillers and Botox made their debut. Today, it’s hyaluronic acid for the lips, but in 1906, when this practice began, women were using paraffin. Later, in the 1960s, they used liquid silicone. Botox was approved in 1989 as a treatment for severe facial spasms. Somewhere along the way, someone realised it also reduces wrinkles and fine lines, and pivoted.
Where have we heard this before? The industry swore it was embracing body positivity, then blinked and shoved us right back into skinny culture. Enter Ozempic: a diabetes drug turned weight-loss craze, now linked to blindness, intestinal blockages, and stomach paralysis. Progress? Please.
We are too skinny...
Too fat...
Too hairy...
Too pouty...
Not curvy enough...
Not chiselled enough...
Sunken...
Crooked...
Wrinkled...
Nothing.
And maybe we fuel their creativity by buying into every new thing they add to the shelves. When they tell us that dark inner thighs are unattractive, we buy the turmeric sugar scrub and the Vitamin C cream in the tiniest bottle at a hefty price. When they say we can add years to our skin by wearing Kim Kardashian’s collagen-infused seamless face wrap, it sells out in hours. When they convince us that the hourglass figure is the only acceptable body shape, we sign up for rib removals.
This industry has made billions off our insecurities, after handing them to us. Freckles were once flaws to be covered; now they’re tattoos people pay for. This is just me trying to paint a clearer picture of what our lives have become.
Why is there always something to fix? God forbid we just exist. No wonder we are tired; everything about our lives is a never-ending process of becoming. I don’t even know what we are becoming, because the goalpost changes every other minute. We can’t tap into our happiness because it feels unachievable.
Yet, despite the challenges and constant pressures, it’s important to remember that happiness and self-acceptance are within our reach. Every small step towards embracing our true selves brings us closer to inner peace and joy. Let's refocus on what makes us genuinely happy and fulfilled, knowing that this journey, while difficult, is also rewarding.
Consider unfollowing that influencer who makes you hate the shape of your body. Trace your body in the mirror, say something kind, a reminder that you are gorgeous. Find communities that celebrate body diversity and rebel against the standards set by the billionaires behind the beauty industry. Reclaiming yourself doesn’t start with a grand evolution; it starts with tiny rebellions.
We are on a hamster wheel, and we all need to step off. The next time you feel the urge to "fix" yourself, pause and ask: Who decided I was broken in the first place? We have the power of choice, and I am writing this to remind you of that, too. Let's take back control, one action at a time.
To existing unapologetically, stepping off the wheel, and reclaiming our freedom.
Overshares & Overplans
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Also… we did a thing! 🥹
Our first-ever Building Sisterhood event happened, and it was everything. We played unhinged, conversation-based games (like the one pictured below), laughed until our cheeks hurt, and made the kind of memories you want to bottle up.
If you showed up: THANK YOU. Truly. Words can’t capture how grateful I am that you shared space with us.
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