CIRCULAR BEAUTY JOURNAL 3: On Beauty

So much of our everyday decisions are based on our perception of beauty - how we fill in our brows, how we brush our hair, the colour of our lipstick.. How were these perceptions formed? 

This is important to understand for us to reclaim our beauty. We are finally at an age where we can finally be beauty, stripped of its societal and commercial baggage. 

Let's do this!

Throughout history, the concept of "beauty" has been largely defined by how others perceive us. 

For women, in many patriarchal cultures, beauty has been a social currency. If you presented yourself in a certain way, it could put you in the desirable upper echelon. Aging skin? Older women held less "value", which meant skin traits associated with age became feared.  

This still holds true, and I would say it is even more pronounced in the digital/social age, where people decide who you are in 3 seconds.  

Clear, fair skin has traditionally been associated with a person living in plush conditions, unattainable to most. Then, it became clear, tanned skin - same idea. Skincare as an industry has upheld this impossible standard to, you guessed it, profit. 

Let's take the trending "glass skin" as an example. We know it's not achievable for our skin to turn that glossy after topically applying a cream, but we go through the motions and purchase the "miracle broth". Or at times, the 12-step regimen. 

We've probably hit a new era of impossible beauty standards as plastic surgery has become normalised. We can say it's a personal decision. But once we consider the mental toll caused by physical insecurity, the financial trouble individuals get themselves into, and the environmental impact of overconsumption, it becomes a larger problem. 

So what do we do?

Understand skin for what it is. The largest organ in our body, it is the first line of defence. It is protecting us at all times, holding us together, letting us feel the world - all the while regenerating itself non-stop. It is truly a wonder.

Why do we hate it because of the one blemish it has? Instead, listen to it. Why do I have this blemish? Did I drink enough water? Did I sleep enough? Did I eat healthy? Where am I in my menstrual cycle? And let's take care of it, the way it takes care of us. 

When the goal of practising beauty becomes care rather than fixing or conforming, it becomes part of nature's cycle. We are part of nature. What is good for us is good for nature. We no longer feel good about buying plastic in the name of beauty. Shipping water around the world looks like nonsense. We seek alternatives.  

This is the vision of beauty I want to sponsor - intelligent, generous, courageous. It's people taking care of themselves to stay grounded and connected. It's beauty that's connected to nature.

This is circular beauty. 

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Read the previous entry "On Circularity" 

Read the first entry "The Spark"