What You Wear Matters

"The beauty industry is huge. There is so much to pay attention to: skin care, haircuts, makeup, manicures, pedicures, moisturizers, shaving products, hair products and hair removal. American women spend, on average, about $3,500 annually, men about $3,000 on making themselves attractive. The global fashion industry was valued at $1.7 trillion in 2023. Despite the beauty industry's recent connection with wellness concerns by stressing chemical-free products and recommending beauty products designed for self-care,"

"Attention paid to attractiveness is problematic. Studies indicate that those who are defined as attractive experience greater psychological well-being while those deemed less attractive experience greater distress and depression. Social media exacerbates the situation such that "viewing images on [ social networking sites] depicting unattainable beauty ideals leads young people to feel dissatisfied about their bodies, with appearance comparison processing playing an important role."

"The beauty and fashion industries take advantage of something real and universal. Everywhere, people decorate themselves-some with tattoos or plaited hair, some with beads and stones and some with scars made with charcoal incisions that radiate around the navel like a starburst. There are jewels that adorn, clothing that is more than merely functional and cosmetics to enhance one's natural attributes."

Personal appearance functions as a social signal and matters to observers. The beauty industry encompasses products and services including skin care, haircuts, cosmetics, nail care, shaving, and hair removal, with American women spending about $3,500 and men about $3,000 annually, and the global fashion industry valued at $1.7 trillion in 2023. Marketing and influencers shape physical attractiveness norms despite wellness framing. Attention to attractiveness correlates with psychological outcomes: perceived attractiveness links to greater well-being while lower perceived attractiveness links to distress and depression; social media heightens dissatisfaction through appearance comparison. Cultural practices worldwide involve deliberate decoration of the body, serving social functions. Bodily beautification can be both vanity-driven and culturally meaningful.

Read at Psychology Today