I Can't Help But Wonder (S1/E2)

Another SATC question answered by Blaze

May 10, 2021

If models could cause otherwise rational individuals to crumble in their presence, exactly how powerful was beauty? (S1/E2)

Capitalism has found a way to quantify the elusivity of models, thus beauty is very powerful.

Ah models; a word, profession, and concept that conjures up a multitude of emotions in “otherwise rational individuals” since forever. Models are seen as the blueprint of beauty; making laymen feel lust, jealousy, insecurity, and envy simply through their embodiment of projected perfection. With the invention of social media, however, models began to lift the runway curtain and let their personality build their brands online by directly connecting with fans in a more personal way than ever before. This new level of engagement also turned into a great way to make money by selling products marketed to their specific fan base. Social media is proven to be an effective way for small and large businesses alike to reach a more authentic audience and Instagram models are the perfect middle man between the companies and the consumers. The amount of money someone gets for promoting brands on their social media directly relates to their follower count and someone’s follower count directly relates to how beautiful they are. The elusive “it” girl’s je ne sais quoi is now boiled down to an algorithm, which affects the “rational individuals” who also occupy space on social media by convincing them that this ideal beauty is the norm. Brands push XY and Z products as solutions to social media generated issues that consumers believe will get them the looks and lifestyle of these models living on their phones while betting on our insecurities to force us to buy the products. In today’s capitalist society, money is power and social media has allowed us to exploit and monetize beauty in a way advertisers only used to dream about.

“Influencer” has been renewed in the lexicon due to the rise of social media, replacing “model” in vocabulary and concept. Products advertised by influencers are proven to hit certain milestone numbers and produce results. According to the Business of Apps, “brands in the US and Canada spent $1.35 billion on influencer marketing in 2019, with Fashion Nova alone spending $40 million” (MANSOOR IQBA, 2021). Companies know that these camera-ready sellers are able to persuade people better than a stale written copy because not only are they pushing the product, they’re selling the whole lifestyle and their beauty is a part of that disillusionment package.

While the parameters of what it looks like to be a model are expanding thanks to the accessibility of social media, their impact on society at large is also increasing. According to Elle Magazine, Cindy Crawford took the 19080s by storm when she got a Revlon contract for $3 million for 20 days of work. In 1990, the infamous Linda Evangelista announced that models “don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day.” But this was no exaggeration because by 2008, Gisele Bundchen was making $35 million per year (Elle, 2008). Then the real numbers happened with social media on the rise and models using the app to connect with fans and use their personality to be more than just a face. They were a brand. International supermodel Cara Delevingne used her wacky personality to create a unique identity that millions of people connected to. 44 Million to be exact, according to her Instagram follower count in 2021. The Sun UK reported that Delevingne was the, “UK’s highest-paid supermodels, earring over 21.5 million pounds” in 2019 alone (Anushka Pathania, 2020). Her huge following makes it easy to see why she is the “brand ambassador for Rimmel London, Burberry, Tag Heuer, Chanel, Marc Jacobs, YSL, and Puma” (Anushka Pathania, 2020). Her beauty begets popularity on social media, which entices brands to work with her, which gets her a paycheck, which gets her more money to spend on interesting things to put on her social media. The trend is undeniable that as the culture grows and expands with social media and the everyday person has more access to these gorgeous women, the more in demand they become, which drives up the price of what brands are willing to pay them. Supply and follower demand.

However because social media is available to everyone, it’s not the exclusive modeling space it used to be. When looking outside the modeling professionals to who else is profiting off of this app, celebrities are the first people who come to mind. It is no surprise that the people with the highest follower count are already celebrities in a different capacity who take to the app to expand their empires. These top celebrities also happen to be undeniably beautiful people: a la the Kardashians, Ariana Grande, Justin Beiber, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson—who is the 2021 highest-paid celebrity on Instagram, reporting $1,015,000 per sponsored post (MANSOOR IQBA, 2021). Johson’s bulging muscles, quick dad jokes, and topical references make The Rock a great follow and also gets him some serious capital. He’s the whole package - brains, beauty, and a bank account. Sliding in #2, Kylie Jenner “can demand a whopping $986,000 per post, which makes sense if you have over 200 million followers” (MANSOOR IQBA, 2021). This clear correlation that beauty begets you power by way of being a literal influencer is a strong pattern that doesn’t seem to be breaking. These outrageous fees for posts add to their personal clout and reinforce these systems that praise physical beauty.

It’s also worth pointing out that The Rock and Jenner both embody the physical extremes of their gender stereotypes. Jenner and her sisters have infamously paid to augment their bodies to accentuate a perfect hourglass figure with large breasts and voluptuous asses - ones so big in fact that they broke the internet (Marie Claire, 2014). Jenner’s style has been a point of much controversy over the appropriation of her look from Black culture and Black Women, yet she continues to grow multiple extremely successful businesses into a billion-dollar company by the age of 23. Her popularity on the app is undeniable, yet she perpetuates this intense beauty standard that she pays a great deal of money for - while many women who are naturally born curvy with dark skin go unnoticed. People of all walks of life secretly want to be Jenner because whether bought or created, her physic and beauty are seen as the most socially desirable. Since her debut on social media in 2015, Jenner has been in Instagram’s top 10 influencers (Emma Richardson, 2021). As for Johnson, he also is a caricature of the ideal masculine form, weighing in at 270 lbs and 6′ 5” ft, The Rock gets his nickname for a reason (Jessica Rawden, 2019). His herculean gym regiment is nothing compared to the attention he gets for being an attentive father, husband, friend, and actor. He’s not only the perfect family man but has time to work out and have funny banter online too. No wonder he’s so popular. Jenner and Johnson embody this ideal standard for the male and female societal archetype and get rewarded for portraying it online by nearly $1 million every time they endorse a brand.

Speaking of Jenner - Kim Kardashian, who is also synonymous with social media, gets paid “between $300,000 to $500,000, and in some instances, $1 million [per Instagram post]. As for KUWTK, the famous family's contract is worth tens of millions” (Instyle, 2020). This level of bought perfection has consequences. In a recent internet blip, Kloe Kardashian came under scrutiny for having the internet scrub an unedited bikini photo of herself and then posted a statement saying it triggered her insecurity. Her four-page statement explaining her side of the controversy said, “it’s almost unbearable trying to live up to the impossible standards that the public has all set for me,” and that it’s hurtful when people refer to her as “the ugly sister” (Brittany Wong, 2021). In a Huffington Post article, titled Why So Many Women Needed To See That Unedited Khloe Kardashian Bikini Pic, writer Brittany Wong argues that “Khloe’s note on Instagram reveals, when it comes to setting unattainable beauty standards, a Kardashian is both the oppressor and the oppressed” (Brittany Wong, 2021). Despite if people thought the photo was empowering or disgusting, everyone agreed it was refreshing to see an unedited photo of these women who seem to live in glass boxes of perfection like Barbies. In order to keep up with her social media image that she’s created, Khole lives with the same insecurities as us all. The reality is that no matter how famous or beautiful you are, no one wants to see a bad photo of themselves and if we all had the power to digitally scrub the internet of unflattering photos, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn't even consider it. So if these intense beauty standards affect a Kardashian, imagine the impact Kardashians have on everyday people who cant afford to change their face when they’re bored.

The common link between beauty and power on the internet is proven time and time again, but now that we’ve put a quantifiable number on beauty, society is paying the price. “Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape. Unfortunately, only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in the media” (Mario Palmer, 2014). When subjected to endless perfectly curated and filtered bodies, insecurity can run rampant and cause low self-confidence. It is easy to point to these gorgeous women and blame them for the lack of our own personal self-worth, but men fall prey to the trap as well. A report done by healthcare institution Florida House Experience, “uncovered that both women and men compare their bodies with those in the media. The survey included 1,000 men and women and focused on their body image, confidence, and the media. It found that 87% of women and 65% of men compare their bodies to images they consume on social and traditional media. In that comparison, a stunning 50% of women and 37% of men compare their bodies unfavorably” (King, 2019). The toxicity of social media shows up in both genders as each person grapples with their own identity. Life is hard enough without having to work on your physic 2 hours a day to be known as ‘The Rock’, while also being a millionaire with a sense of humor.

The number one solution this study suggests for dealing with social media inadequacy is to “unfollow or unfriend accounts that try to sell you products with their bodies” (King, 2019). We’re being gaslit by hot people convincing us that being beautiful and popular is possible for everyone if you buy the right products. This is just not true; you can’t be hot, interesting, and wealthy all at the same time. If that’s true then you’re Beyonce or a psychopath and chances are you’re not Beyonce.

It’s not a coincidence but rather good branding that the merch lines most celebrities debut revolve around beauty. Rhianna, Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, and Gwyneth Paltroware are just a few celebrities that make millions from their beauty product lines. They’re using their personal beauty to sell more beauty products en masse and cut out the middle man (other brands) to stack all the money for themselves. The problem is that they are in no way flawless in person and no one will ever be able to compete unless you have a lot of money to get started. Think back to one of Cardi’s most popular lines on her breakout record Bodak Yellow, “got a bag and fixed my teeth.” If people spent billions of dollars each year on the beauty industry and wealth can buy power; why is everyone so intent on buying beauty? Because they realize that beauty is power. Consumers pay more attention to people who fit their ideal beauty standards and, in doing so, that comes at the expense of the average person’s mental health. Women used to say that pain is beauty but now beauty is money and money is power. Cue the before and after meme of Kylie Jenner that reminds us all, you’re not ugly - you’re just broke.

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Blaze’s Pick: How To Talk Dirty & Influence People by Lenny Bruce

This week I’m reading Lenny Bruce’s autobiography How To Talk Dirty & Influence People. Bruce was one of the first comedians to get persecuted for his point of view, besides Jesus of course. His comedic timing and candid speech made it clear why so many people go to church on Sundays. Bruce has strong religious themes throughout the book; from describing this time he pretended to be a priest to swindle money from old bitties in Florida, to the times he had actual true moments of faith when his beloved gets in a life-altering car accident. He’s a complex man of God with a serious God complex. He muses that “if Christ were to come down at that moment, he would go immediately to headquarters and ask the Pope, ‘what are you doing wearing that big ring? What are those gold cups encrusted with diamonds and other jewels for? Don’t you know that people are starving all over the world?” While he seems to be anti-religion, he changes his mind when money is at stake. Considering joining the clergy he reflects that, “by pure logic, any man who calls himself a religious leader and owns more than one suit is a hustler as long as there is someone in the world who has no suit at all.” That’s the brilliance of Bruce. Even though he’s smug, self-righteous, and could offend someone with his off-the-collar religious observations; the endpoint is not too far off from a serious truth. More piety in Christianity figureheads would do a lot of good to clean up their image. Because religions have a pretty sturdy fan base, those willing to command them in the likeness of Jesus have a lot of nerve. By highlighting this hypocrisy Bruce might be being flippant but it’s an interesting perspective to consider. Why are certain religious leaders so quick to flock to a flock? Bruce tackles social dilemmas, tales of his youth, and reveals the soft underbelly of his heart in this interesting autobiography that examines what it means to talk dirty and who will listen.

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Show Your Support: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

May is Mental Health Awareness month so we’re spotlighting the National Alliance on Mental Health, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI envisions a world where all people affected by mental illness live healthy, fulfilling lives supported by a community that cares. Working towards that vision, NAMI provides advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.

Here’s a breakdown of what NAMI does:

We educate. Offered in thousands of communities across the United States through NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates, our education programs ensure hundreds of thousands of families, individuals and educators get the support and information they need.

We advocate. NAMI shapes national public policy for people with mental illness and their families and provides volunteer leaders with the tools, resources, and skills necessary to save mental health in all states.

We listen. Our toll-free NAMI HelpLine allows us to respond personally to hundreds of thousands of requests each year, providing free information and support—a much-needed lifeline for many.

We lead. Public awareness events and activities, including Mental Illness Awareness Week and NAMIWalks, successfully fight stigma and encourage understanding. NAMI works with reporters on a daily basis to make sure our country understands how important mental health is.

The amplified message for this year’s Mental Health Awareness month is “You Are Not Alone.” Together, we can realize our shared vision of a nation where anyone affected by mental illness can get the appropriate support and quality of care to live healthy, fulfilling lives — a nation where no one feels alone in their struggle. And between now and midnight on May 31, donations will be doubled up to $75,000 for a total of $150,000 in support of NAMI’s lifesaving work. In the OTF fashion, we have already donated $100 to NAMI for fighting the good fight!

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