PMAG -15 Contemplation Achievement May 2015 Contemplation June 2015 Achievement | Page 42

BEAUTY

BEAUTY

CAN COSMETICS
Teach Us About Self-Love?

if it threatened my own
beliefs and what I commit myself to day in and
day out.
In fact, I really appreciate
it. I simply hope whatever
beauty and grooming
choices we do decide
to engage in are healthy
and safe for our bodies
and promote well-being
(this of course includes
emotional wellbeing). I
think discussions around
how how the way we
look influences the way
we and other see us
are important, because
physical beauty is a very
real part of our culture.
If you don’t believe me,
just think about how
titillated people get from
makeup-free celebrity
pictures.

Image credit: Magdan Tania - Dreamstime

I

’ve been seeing the story about Tracey Spicer, the Australian news anchor that has publicly committed to phasing out “extreme grooming”, around the internet for a while now.
But it wasn’t until I heard a segment about it on the radio that I really decided to sit down
and contemplate it. Sure, beauty is something I think about a lot – and I mean a lot – but
since it’s been in the media so much, I thought it would be a good to really analyze stories
like these.
It seems pretty straightforward: Spicer’s message highlights the pressure of physical perfection, the result of a consumerist culture and, probably most talked about in its coverage, sexism. While I consider myself a feminist, I’m also a cosmetic formulator and beauty
care professional, so how does this make me feel about my belief system in relation to my
career? Furthermore, did it bother me that commenters on the internet seem to be championing Spicer and even scorning “feminist hypocrites who wear makeup”? Maybe some
of you would think that I would feel uncomfortable by an anti-grooming move like this, as

But the pre ssure to be
beautiful is not only for
women. It’s also a reality
for men (and of course
other genders – however
they identify), and it’s
only getting more common. The men’s grooming segment is booming
as a result. As a skincare
professional, I have read

many trend reports on
male skincare as an area
of growth and opportunity and I have seen
first-hand an increasing
number of men come
into Pure + simple worrying about crow’s feet,
fine lines, and wondering
about skincare supports
post-Botox. This concerns
me as equality should
not come in the form of
universal insecurity. And
while perhaps men don’t
always rely on skincare
and cosmetics, they are
definitely affected by
the way they perceive
themselves and how others perceive them. Men
have, along with women,
had their own sources
of insecurity over physical attributes for as long
as insecurity has been
around.
I have a male friend who
is quite short – and it really influences his self-esteem. It makes him feel
that others do not see
him as powerful and this
plays a role in his career
advancement. It’s not
only about beauty but a
lack of plain old self-love.

And for some reason
when I think about most
problems in the world,
it comes back to this. If
I’m honest, I struggle with
many unloving feelings
towards myself that drive
habits that aren’t the
best for my spirit. When
we reduce it down,
whether it’s makeup or
some other device, we’ll
find that it’s about the
struggle to love ourselves
in spite of everything.
So, stories like this one
about Tracy Spicer are
important. They help us
realize that we need
freedom of choice over
how we decide to present ourselves to the world
– but also that they are
some very real barriers to
overcome to be able to
exert this choice. Some
are systemic while others are personal – but in
the end if we are to be
given this choice it must
start from a place of love
within these arenas for
ourselves and others. And
isn’t that true beauty?

Kristen Ma is the co-owner of Pure + Simple Inc., a group of Holistic
Spas with its own line of Natural Skincare and Mineral Make-up.  She
is an Ayurvedic Practitioner who has studied in Canada, the United
States and India.  She is also a Certified Esthetician with eight years of
practical experience, having worked in Canada as well as Australia. 
Most recently, Kristen has authored “Beauty: Pure + Simple” which was
published by Mc Arthur and Company.  Kristen has written on the subject
of Holistic Beauty for Vitality Magazine, Blink and Jasmine.  She is also a
regular contributor to B Magazine, Tonic and Sweat Equity Magazine.
For more information on Kristen, please visit www.holisticvanity.ca.