Y2K and Beyond

Y2K and Beyond

The Early 2000s

With the turn of the millennium, beauty standards in terms of bodies stayed relatively the same, though perhaps not as extreme as they were in the 90s. Even still, when female celebrities gained even the slightest bit of weight, Tabloids, which are newspapers typically more focused on gossip rather than actual news, wouldn’t hesitate to call them a whale. Similar to how heroin chic in the 90s proved damaging for young people’s own view of their bodies, the early 200s did the same. To be thin was a hyperfocus for the media of the time, especially since the fashion sense of the time was focused on bare midriffs and low-rise jeans.

Makeup was where the era saw the most change; however, as colors were more popular than ever, from frosted eyeshadow to glossy lips. This is in stark contrast to earlier years that focused on pinks and reds in terms of lipstick and eyeshadow; this was the era of makeup embracing the fun self-expression seen in the 60s and the bright colors of the 80s. Vogue magazine, as seen in the image to the right, also noted this similarity, encouraging readers to embrace it.

2010 Changed Beauty

In 2010, with social media becoming more prominent in people’s lives, makeup changed again. YouTubers posting makeup tutorials began to go viral, and people began to imitate the looks they saw online. One of the first makeup tutorials to ever be posted on YouTube to gain a significant amount of traction was likely Makeup Lessons - LOOK HOT in 5 Minutes or Less… uploaded by Adrienne K. Hickman. While basic, this video was still the beginning of a major motion in social media. Now, there are over a million makeup tutorials, and some people are launching major careers off of their videos. One such person is Nikki De Jager, better known online as NikkiTutorials. She has collaborated with major makeup brands and is still someone actively posting tutorials and reviews today.

2010s makeup was full glam, which was also typically associated with drag makeup. As stated in the overview, the Kardashians’ makeup artist from the time even stated that they were inspired by drag queens. Overall, the 2010s also began to allow for more creativity in makeup, something that would continue into the 2020s.

Today

Now, in our post-COVID-19 world, makeup is more expensive than ever. As stated previously, there are millions of makeup tutorials, some for simple looks, others for extreme makeup styles. When the COVID-19 lockdown happened, with the prevalence of TikTok, there was even more experimentation. However, this did not stay the same for very long. The latest trends, if one opens TikTok, relate largely to the “Clean Girl” aesthetic. There is also a heavy focus on the Tradwife aesthetic. Tradwife means a traditional wife, and is largely related to the alt-right political focus, as it claims that women should be in the home as caretakers. Despite this scary trend emerging, there are still countless people who are speaking out against it and experimenting with what beauty really means.

Beauty is cyclical and forever changing. Beauty is forever fleeting, yet humans strive for it eternally.