These days, men and women are increasingly spending fortunes on beauty. The main cause of such a development is the changing beauty standards worldwide and the extensive marketing done by cosmetics companies. This is a negative phenomenon because, firstly, many households spend more than they can afford on buying products that they do not need ,and secondly, it is one of the primary reasons for the spread of body dysmorphic disorders in society.
The rise of models, celebrities, and influencers has changed the way people see attractiveness. Such famous individuals use many appearance modifying products and do many surgeries to look perfect; therefore, they set unrealistic beauty standards that people work hard to achieve. Consequently, they use various beauty products in an effort to look presentable and attractive. Moreover, firms that work in cosmetics advertise their products extensively. Marketing is the art of creating a need and convincing people they have to buy something they never wanted. Therefore, many people now believe that cosmetics are crucial to their everyday appearance. For example, models and cosmetics companies convinced women that having any minor defect in their faces will make them unattractive and undesirable; thus, virtually all women use makeup whenever they go out nowadays.
This is a negative development because it increases the financial burden on many families. Many household spend fortunes on such products when they could have used the money for investing in a better life. Furthermore, the unrealistic beauty standards are the main driving force behind the rising prevalence of body dysmorphic disorders among adolescents. That is because young people compare their normal faces and bodies with those of models and celebrities, which are heavily modified and altered, and think that they are inadequate and ugly. Striking evidence for this is a 2018 American study which showed that the rate of unnecessary cosmetic surgeries among regular individuals rose by 200% in the past five years.
In conclusion, the development of unrealistic beauty expectations along with the large marketing campaigns by cosmetics companies led both men and women to spend too much money on beauty care. This is probably a negative phenomenon because it fuels body dysmorphia and makes people spend more than they can afford on unnecessary products and procedures.