How we went from Audrey and Monica to the Kardashians…

Natural beauty has, throughout history, changed significantly, so that in the past it was often linked to health, fertility, youth, and simplicity (e.g. classical proportions, clear skin, minimal makeup). Today, the ideal of beauty often includes pronounced curves, overly contoured faces, “pumped” lips, perfectly groomed skin (which simply does not exist), which has become part of the so-called “Kardashian aesthetic”, or as we would call it, the “Era of Filters.”

The influence of media and social networks certainly has the leading role when it comes to imposing certain beauty ideals. Whereas in the past, beauty was dictated by fashion magazines and movie stars, today Instagram, TikTok, and reality TV create a completely new image of beauty – one that can be edited, filtered, and commercialized. And of course, the Kardashian clan were among the first to monetize their own appearance very well, creating an empire based precisely on the aesthetics and lifestyle they promote.

Aesthetic medicine and technology have also significantly contributed to the creation of a certain “myth” of what the perfect appearance should be. Namely, advances in plastic surgery and the cosmetic industry allow people to drastically change their appearance. Once these procedures were very expensive and risky – while today fillers, Botox, nose surgeries, and body shaping are widely accessible. And all of this together has led to the natural look often being neglected in favour of the “improved” appearance.

The culture of performance and identity is also one of the factors influencing and creating awareness of “how we should look” and what is considered acceptable. We have definitely reached a time when beauty is social capital – good looks can mean more followers, more jobs, more influence. Many people see physical appearance as a project that is constantly being upgraded, not nurtured but truly upgraded. The Kardashians are the personification of that idea: constant change and improvement of oneself as a brand. Consumer and influencer culture have experienced some kind of peak in the past years.

But is this truly sustainable in the long run? Is it possible to go further than this? Can we continually “upgrade” the face and body without it reaching a risky phase after which it is difficult to go back?

Without the slightest intention of judging anyone, we believe it is nevertheless important to critically reflect on what is “beautiful”, whom it serves, whom we are trying to impress, and where in all of this lies our authenticity. Because with the loss of authenticity, we simply lose ourselves. Of course, aesthetic medicine as a science has advanced, and that is a wonderful and magnificent thing. And aesthetic medicine is precisely the science that is very compatible with what we ourselves strive for, with care, but with its most beautiful part – the care of natural beauty and uniqueness. Aesthetic medicine is wonderful, because it can help many people who, for aesthetic reasons, want to undergo a procedure to correct a minor imperfection, while NOT CHANGING THEIR PERSONAL DESCRIPTION. Even more wonderful is its role for all those who need it in order to continue normal lives for health reasons – for example, people with nasal deviations who have not breathed and slept normally for years, and for all those whose lives aesthetic medicine saves after certain accidents, enabling them to continue with normal lives. Therefore, we should be grateful to aesthetic medicine for all its good sides, because they are truly many.

What is encouraging is the return to the natural that is already widely happening. Many are tired of the “plasticized” look and are returning to primal, “imperfect,” but real versions of beauty, which are also not in conflict with aesthetic medicine, but rather the opposite. Thus, we are witnessing that natural beauty has not disappeared, but was long suppressed under the onslaught of filtered and aesthetically “aligned” faces. We believe that a general saturation has come about regarding physical appearance. More and more we see beautiful, authentic girls and women in various campaigns, who, like all of us, are “of flesh and blood,” with imperfections that ultimately differentiate us, make us beautiful and unique. And is that not the ESSENCE of beauty – to be special, to be authentic, to BE YOURSELF!!! And more about how much we rejoice in the return to the Natural, in the next blog.

Until the next BloGlow

Kind regards

Jadranka Francesković

LLSkin Team