THE PRICE OF LOOKING GOOD THESE DAYS
Every few weeks, A girl sits in front of a mirror and starts the same routine. She cleans her face, applies her skincare products one after another, fixes her eyebrows and checks her hair before leaving the house. It is something she enjoys, but there is one thing she has noticed looking good is becoming expensive.
A hairstyle can take a big part of someone’s income. Then there are nails, eyebrows, skincare products, makeup and the occasional outfit bought simply because the old one no longer feels “Instagram-worthy.” For young women, beauty is no longer something reserved for special occasions. Social media has made it part of everyday life. You see someone with perfect skin on TikTok, another with a new hairstyle on Instagram, and suddenly you are wondering whether you also need to change something about yourself.
And it is not only women. Young men are also becoming more conscious about their appearance, from haircuts and skincare to perfumes, clothes and body fitness. Looking good has become part of how young people present themselves, especially in a generation where a photograph can reach hundreds or thousands of people within seconds.
But behind all those beautiful pictures is a pressure that is rarely discussed. Social media can make ordinary people feel like they are not doing enough. Someone wakes up with a few pimples and feels uncomfortable because the people they follow seem to have perfectly smooth skin. Someone sees a particular body shape becoming popular and suddenly starts questioning their own. Another person sees a new hairstyle trending and feels outdated because they cannot afford it.
The irony is that many of the images we compare ourselves with are not showing real life exactly as it is. Makeup, lighting, filters, editing and carefully chosen angles can completely change a photograph. But when you are sitting alone with your phone, it can be easy to forget that the person on the screen also wakes up with bad hair days, tired eyes and skin problems.
Still, the beauty industry is not necessarily the enemy. For many people, getting their hair done, buying skincare or putting on makeup is simply a way of expressing themselves. Salons, barbershops, nail technicians, makeup artists and local skincare businesses are also creating jobs and helping young entrepreneurs make a living.
The problem begins when beauty stops being something you enjoy and becomes something you feel you must achieve.
Because there will always be another hairstyle, another product and another trend. You can spend money trying to catch up with beauty standards and still wake up the next morning feeling like you are behind.
Perhaps the real challenge for this generation is learning the difference between wanting to look good and feeling like you are not good enough unless you look a certain way.
At the end of the day, the mirror should be a place where you recognise yourself not a place where you constantly search for something to fix
