Social Media’s Newest Obsession: “glow-ups”
Written By Emily Barito
Social media’s distorted perceptions of beauty have created unrealistic physical goals for young people, including myself, as we constantly strive to become more beautiful, failing to realise that beauty cannot be bought or gained when it’s rooted in an unhealthy obsession to ‘look prettier’.
Ever since I can remember, I used to immerse myself in the narrow beauty standards that were upheld by the media, from models in magazines to films on tv, unaware that it was very unhealthy.
In particular, I vividly remember enjoying the film trope where characters realize they’re ‘beautiful all along’ just from pulling their hair out of a ponytail, taking off their glasses and adding a layer of red lipstick. I would sit in front of the TV in sheer awe when characters would transform from ‘ugly’ to ‘pretty’ within a few fleeting minutes. I used to wonder when I would have my beautiful transformation.
The Breakfast Club, Grease and The Devil Wears Prada are all movies that contain a classic scene where a character experiences a dramatic beautification. Yet, a scene that truly stuck with me for years was called “Princess Diaries’. The protagonist, Mia, was merely portrayed as a young girl who failed to fit in with her peers. She liked it that way, but after undergoing an intense physical makeover, she felt beautiful and was instantly seen as more attractive.
The way the stylist grimaced at the sight in front of him before he got to work and the way her face curved into a smile when he was done. Her eyes lingered on the mirror, dissecting every part of her ‘improved’ face from the rosy colour of her cheeks to lustrous hair on her head. I can only imagine this is what tons of other impressionable people think when they watch these films or see similar things in the media.
However, these scenes of dramatic transformation have trailed off into shorter, more accessible forms of content. TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are embellished with tons of makeover videos that do more harm than good to people who watch them thoroughly or even just scroll past them after sneaking a quick glance. People see unrealistic beauty standards plastered everywhere.
Phone screens, T.V’s, Posters.
Everywhere.
It is estimated that an ordinary user spends 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok.
TikTok conquers 62% of young people aged 10-29 in the U.S, with them spending on average 52 minutes a day on the app. Furthermore, 2.5 million Australians use TikTok, with 23% of people being aged 16-24. The reason I am mentioning TikTok specifically is because recently I’ve watched many videos of young people on the app ‘glowing up’ - slowly conforming to society’s ridiculous beauty expectations by caving into this unspoken, silent pressure to look more beautiful.
A ‘glow up’ is typically defined as an easily recognized, incredible physical transformation that can happen overnight, over months, or even years. It is mainly obtained purposefully, which is where the toxicity of this idea stems from. They are usually published in the forms of videos but can be pictures as well. People who watch these videos are reinforcing the belief that their current self is not good enough and they need to be prettier. This has been drilled into the heads of people for years now. It can even be traced back to celebrities getting cosmetic surgeries or changes.
On the other hand, there are many positive types of glow ups, where people become their best selves by getting rid of negative factors in their lives, finding what makes them happy or simply going through puberty. These types of pictures, videos or TikTok are what I love to see. It brings an unwavering fuzzy feeling in my stomach and a bright grin on my face. People are allowed to do whatever they want to their bodies and if they want to ‘glow up’ they should. A glow up is supposed to be portrayed as a precious experience where one feels genuinely lighter and happier, rejuvenated by unpleasant weight that’s been lifted off one’s shoulders.
Though, the problem I have with these ‘glow ups’ is that the people who are making them, are often sending a subliminal message, sometimes inadvertently, that their previous self - often marked by a ‘before’ picture - was not good enough. My mind spirals mindlessly with endless thoughts when I watch these videos and I don’t doubt other people’s do too. Our minds find something about ourselves to hate again, feeding into a vicious cycle to achieve what we think is unattainable beauty. People should be motivated to make physical changes mainly because it makes them feel more beautiful. Acceptance of one’s self is not born from conforming to beauty standards or glowing up. In my mind, ‘glow ups’ aren’t necessary to look better, but they do help people feel better and feel beautiful.
Interestingly, what I have noticed is some people argue that the ‘glow up’s’ can be naturally gained, through puberty. I have personally heard friends of mine say “puberty didn’t hit me hard enough” or “puberty hit (this person) like a truck”. In truth, these transformations that we see online or in real life can be the stunning result of makeup experimentation or even just a haircut.
We have watched many celebrities of all types of ages ‘glowing up.’ The most notable examples are the Kardashian and Jenner celebrities who have amazing transformations. People look up to these celebrities and think ‘I want to be like that.’ Though, what people fail to realize is that major ‘glow ups’ that celebrities have experienced, are difficult to obtain for the average person. Surgeries, fillers or major changes are expensive and sometimes celebrities are not open about it. I believe that if celebrities are open about things like this, then people will merely begin to realize that not all ‘glow ups’ are natural.
Ultimately, ‘glow up’ culture feeds into toxic and unrealistic beauty standards which is detrimental to the mental health of many people including me. Unbelievably, major transformations do not need to be done to make you more beautiful. An unhealthy mindset and inability to accept oneself will eventually lead to a vicious cycle of not believing that everyone is already beautiful.
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