Beauty from a College Student’s POV…
Ever wonder how young females enrolled in universities across the country can afford the life that they flaunt on social media channels?
With the immergence of a new year, it is difficult to overlook how makeup is incorporated into the daily life of younger and younger girls. This is especially evident during today’s digital age, where selfies are necessary to maintain a relevant social media persona. The concept of beauty can lead to problematic issues like depression and eating disorders. Adolescent females scroll through social media and are faced with endless retouched photos and inevitably become pressured to maintained a “perfect” façade.
Influencers such as Kylie Jenner have had an immense impact on young women, especially in regard to the idea of plastic surgery. The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) said that those between the ages of 18–24 are most likely to approve of cosmetic procedures. The YWCA states, “According to a survey of young people aged 18 and above, 69% of respondents are in favor of cosmetic surgery, which is a 7% increase from 2006.”
Although not all college students can afford to go the cosmetic route, makeup tricks enable them to emulate the look celebrities perfect on camera.
The cosmetic industry is worth over 62 billion U.S. dollars and one eager target audience is college students. Although the women interviewed preferred Target because of its wide range of products available to consumers, statistics show that Ulta is the leading health and beauty retailer in the U.S., according to Statista. The data also suggests Sephora was the leading retailer when analyzing sales per store. In terms of specific items consumers purchase, foundation and mascara rank among the top spots. Although the most sought out brands in the U.S. appear to be the classic ones such as L’Oréal, millennials are using social media to encourage the consumption of brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills. Furthermore, YWCA states that one year of tuition at a public university is equal to five years spending an average of 100 dollars a month.
Are students really spending on luxurious items rather than education? I asked some ladies at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus to investigate the situation.
Jenna Lambert and Sandra Crnogorac exposed their individual beauty costs. Crnogorac says she loves to spend more on disposable lashes over other products. This cost is approximately 30 dollars per month for her. Her and Lambert agreed that their go-to place to shop for anything beauty varies from Ulta and CVS to Target.
Cate Heidi was visiting the campus also enjoys doing her beauty shopping at Target because it is convenient when purchasing other items. She shared her quick low-maintenance beauty regimen. She said, “I usually only use mascara and under eye concealer so together that is about 15 dollars and it lasts me about four months.” Outside of cosmetics, she revealed how much she spends on maintaining her eyebrows. “I have very unruly eyebrows so I spend 15 dollars to get them waxed pretty often, once a month or so.” Heidi noticed that a lot of her friends, herself included, let go of the makeup costs in college in order to prioritize student bills.
Her perspective on makeup illustrates another percentage of college students that are not going out of their way to replicate the latest look of an influencer. Perhaps if a beauty connoisseur splurged on foundation but saved on other products, the issue will be resolved to a certain extent. Compromising may be the key for young adults in universities to look great without breaking the bank.
Below is an interesting video that delves deeper into the cost of beauty:
