I am Colombian and a big fan of Karol G (@karolg). For readers who suddenly can’t locate Karol, she is a famous reggaeton singer from my country and has recently been a worldwide trend because with Shakira they released the song TQG (Te quedó grande), which has been a global phenomenon, reaching more than of 50 million reproductions in the first 24 hours, becoming number 2 of the global top of Spotify.
Given such a magnitude of success, the two artists have been invited to many interviews, reports, magazine covers, among others.
On April 6, Karol G published on her Instagram account a post related to a new report in a well-known Latin American magazine, where she had been invited to be the cover.
The post quickly became a global trend because the photo was too retouched and therefore, the artist indicated that the magazine cover had an image that did not represent her and literally expressed: “My face doesn’t look like that, my body doesn’t look like that and I feel very happy and comfortable with how I look currently. I appreciate this opportunity because I was very happy when they confirmed that I would be there, but despite making clear my disagreement with the number of edits they made to the photo, they did nothing about it, as if I needed all those changes to look good. I understand the repercussions that this can have, but beyond feeling that it is disrespectful to me, it is also to women who wake up every day looking to feel comfortable with ourselves despite society’s stereotypes. In a few days, the publication reached more than 6 million likes and hundreds of comments.
This year we have seen how real beauty is becoming a trend and episodes like Karol G’s, which have gained worldwide recognition in a few days, confirm it. Even Jamie Lee Curtis, who has been an Oscar winner, supported the artist’s comments, indicating that: “I am so happy that Karol G is raising awareness of a problem that has worried me for a long time … We are human beings, we are not AI”.
She also commented: “This genocide against what is naturally beautiful is alarming and needs to be talked about”, “I am very encouraged that a younger person joins the chorus of disapproval”.
The hashtag about real beauty is beginning to trend and gain popularity. On Instagram we can see it in different languages: #realbeauty – 462097 posts, #bellezareal – 76339 posts and #belezareal 172040 posts (in English, Spanish and Portuguese relatively), information revised on April 10.
In social networks, the issue of filters has reached an evolution that practically generates another identity. There are filters for everything, for hair color, with freckles, without freckles, old, young… and this is precisely where the issue of real beauty becomes relevant, because it is lost, it seems that many people live in a world where they want to be others.
Beauty is a universal right and in beauty there should be no stereotypes but rather an appreciation for diversity and this is a trend where cosmetics is its great ally. The human being is perfect in its essence. Four days after the publication of Karol G, CNN published a note titled: After the controversy over the editing of Karol G’s photographs: how far are the retouching necessary? How far should the editing of the images go?
Reviewing different posts on Instagram under the hashtag #realbeauty I found some very interesting and inspiring ones:
– “I reminded myself that being at war with your body is out of fashion. I am grateful for this body that allows me to do what I have to do”, Camila Cabello.
-“The beauty of a woman is not in her outward appearance, but in her soul and in the light that radiates from her”, Audrey Hepburn.
-“Many people think beauty lies in the looks. But the real beauty that makes someone stay with you lies in your heart”, Gauranga Das.
We see many very interesting examples that support real beauty in the market. For example, many brands are inviting plus-size models to participate in their concepts. The issue of enhancing frizz is now a big trend in Latin America and now it is a pride to be frizzy.
Skin tone is also a source of pride and that is why we now see how inclusion is generated from a biochemical and molecular level. In the anti-aging category there are thousands of opportunities, because it is not about turning back time, it is about accompanying our best version forever so that we look and feel good.
In this post-pandemic era, we have witnessed how the concept of beauty is becoming more and more linked to health. The idea of well-being is the one that now dominates the main desires of consumers.
This week I also read a post on LinkedIn indicating that unfiltered beauty on social media is becoming more relevant as many agencies and brands are increasingly betting on untouched content. The article indicates that: “the new influencer marketing campaigns are investing in content without touch-ups or alterations. ¿The reason? They seek to combat the damage to mental health caused by social networks.
Let’s think about what Coco Chanel said so many years ago: “Beauty begins in the moment you decide to be yourself.” Innovation in the cosmetics industry is also focused on supporting real beauty. As a cosmetic chemist and formulator I am proud of all the work we do every day. Thousands of scientists in many countries are working hard to develop actives, technologies, excipients, formulas, products and evaluation methodologies that are going to have a great positive impact on the lives of so many people. This column is also a tribute to all of them.
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