Beauty is a passionate topic for many women. It’s fun to play with makeup, explore hair styles, and enjoy the latest fashion trends.
But it’s not all fun and games. Women sacrifice a lot in the name of beauty, and maybe it’s time to ask if it’s always worth it. We’ll let you decide.
Spending too much money on cosmetic products
It’s bad enough that there’s a pay gap, and that qualified women earn less than men in identical positions.
But it’s even worse when women have to dish out lots of money for cosmetic products. In fact, women can spend up to $15,000 in their lifetime on makeup products alone. That alone is a big incentive to ask for a raise.
Not investing in their health
It comes as no surprise that with women spending exorbitant amounts of their paychecks on cosmetics, they don’t have much to spend on their health. In a survey from East Tennessee State University, researchers found that women were more likely to buy beauty products than to invest in products to ward off cancer.
A similar report found that women tend to spend more on beauty products than they do on products to improve their physical wellbeing.
Getting up earlier than men
This isn’t true for all women, but if you’ve got to do your hair and makeup every morning, that means you need to give yourself at least 30 minutes to do that, along with everything else that needs to get done.
But men don’t have to set aside time for an extensive beauty routine.
Plastic surgery
According to Business Insider, “South Korea has the most plastic surgeries per cap on earth, with over 980,000 recorded operations in 2014.”
Just to give you some perspective, that’s about 20 plastic surgeries for every 1,000 people. The US rings in at about 13 surgeries per 1,000 people.
It’s important to remember that every woman has the right to chose whether or not plastic surgery is right for her. Maybe rhinoplasty will give one woman more self-confidence. Maybe breast implants will make another woman feel more beautiful.
As the saying goes, “To each his (or, her) own.” But do some women feel pressured to do this thanks to society? Women are constantly shown images of perfect-looking women, and it’s only a matter of time before they start to see themselves as flawed and not good enough.
Is this search for perfection – this competition with an unrealistic beauty standard – driving women to surgically change their bodies? And is it really worth it in the end?
Rib-crushing corsets
For decades, the hour-glass figure has been the quintessential female shape. At the turn of the last century, Victorian women wore corsets to obtain unreasonably small waists. And for a while, it seemed like this beauty trend had faded into history.
But unfortunately, the corsets made a comeback. And with endorsements from high-profile celebrities like the Kardashians, more and more women started wearing these restrictive pieces.
They might make your waist look smaller, but it comes at a very high price. For one thing, corsets prevent you from breathing deeply and fully, and thanks to all this pressure around the ribcage, some women even sustain rib fractures.
Corsets are definitely a beauty sacrifice worth reconsidering.
Stilettos are uncomfortable and potentially dangerous
Shoe designer, Christian Louboutin, who is famous for his red sole stilettos, once said that “high heels are a pleasure with pain.” In Louboutin’s opinion – and the opinion of many other people – high heels mean suffering, and that’s all there is to it.
But isn’t it strange that women are willing to accept this as the high heel norm? Don’t you think you – and your feet – deserve better than that?
Another problem with high heels is that they can be bad for your physical health, including toes, knees, and back.
Beauty products are potentially toxic
Your skin is like your second stomach, and it absorbs whatever you put on it. And since it’s the largest organ in your body, that means your body can potentially absorb a lot of outside substances.
And that’s something to pay attention to – especially when it comes to beauty products. That’s because many of them contain toxic ingredients. For example, triclosan is used to prevent bacterial growth in makeup products, but it can also interfere with reproductive and thyroid health.
Parabens are another common ingredient, but they’re actually found in breast cancer tumors, which is alarming. Finally, lead has been identified in lipstick, including those from popular brands like Maybelline, Revlon, and L’Oreal.
The not-so-glamorous side of keratin hair treatments
Keratin treatments, also known as Brazilian Blowouts, leave you with glossy, straight hair. The only problem is, this treatment includes formaldehyde. This can make your eyes sting and tear. And maybe that doesn’t seem like such a big deal in return for model-like hair.
But think again.
According to National Cancer Institute, formaldehyde is a fungicide, germicide and is used as a preservative in mortuaries. And in 1987, formaldehyde was categorized as a probable human carcinogen if there is high or prolonged exposure. And after various studies, the Department of Health and Human Services reported this chemical as a known human carcinogen.
So, is this something women should really apply to their hair?
The small sacrifice of shaving
Shaving isn’t as harmful as a keratin hair treatments or a lead-containing lipstick, but let’s face it, shaving is yet another beauty task women have to do. If they don’t, they come off looking a bit wild or like a hippie.
Basically, the standard is that women should shave, and so we do. But razors, creams, and lotions add up. And so do laser hair removal treatments and waxing.
Dieting to be thin
Finally, big risk women take in the name of beauty is dieting. Some women are hyper-aware of what they eat, all in an attempt to stay thin, lose weight and fit into small sizes.
And while there’s nothing wrong with being in shape and eating a healthy, balanced diet, if you’re only doing it for an unrealistic beauty standard, what’s the fun in that?
These are just 10 ways women sacrifice for beauty. Some of them are quite serious, others aren’t. What ways do you sacrifice to be beautiful, and do you think it’s worth it?
