And that’s okay. Big hair and blue eyeshadow are not new to women either. Western Baby Boomer women made that more popular starting in the 1960’s. Watch Bewitched and observe Samantha Stephens’s mother Eldora if you are sceptical. It was during a time when the young generations were trying to assert their individuality and rebel against the more conformist societies they lived in.
Well, that rebellion and desire to assert individuality are back. Gen Z women are showing both when they wear makeup. It’s time to explain what this means.
Every Gen Z Woman Wants to Be Her Person
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Gen Z is different and Gen Z women want to emphasize that in how they dress and wear makeup since makeup is a way of letting a person’s inner nature shine through with facial accessories. Young women want to experiment, as always. But they may be finding a different way to do so.
It’s all thanks to social media. Now, instead of going to the mall as their Boomer Parents and older Gen X and Y sisters did, young twenty-something women can flock to social media platforms, mainly TikTok, for makeup ideas and inspiration. Some are also turning to apps and AI to experiment with different colors to create that new and unique look.
Ultimately, Gen Zers’ makeup concepts emphasize diversity and inclusion because young twenty-somethings were raised to believe that everyone is unique, talented, and special in their way, regardless of their health, physical nature, or abilities.
The Hourglass, Barbie-shaped figure is Out
For decades, perhaps centuries, the ideal woman’s shape was the hourglass shape. That has been replaced by the Barbie shape since the 1950s. But both are now under threat as Gen Z women redefine and revolutionize the concepts of beauty and applying makeup. They just don’t believe in a one-body size. That’s good because most women, myself included, don’t have the hourglass body.
That said, they do want natural ingredients and not ingredients that few people would recognize, much less pronounce, in their cosmetics. They also prefer PETA makeup.
Gen Z Took the Concept of Cleanliness is Great to the Next Level
Many leaders, Mahatma Gandhi included, felt that cleanliness was great. Gen Z, it turns out, is the same. They worship a healthy environment. So, they are careful only to buy eco-friendly cosmetics. But they also want products not tested on animals or made under questionable circumstances.
The cosmetics industry, in general, is responding by developing and manufacturing environmentally friendly and ethically produced and sourced cosmetics products. These same giants are also transparent on social platforms when promoting their brands and answering Gen Z questions and queries about the brands’ manufacture and origins.
Chatgpt Goes One Step Further
If Gens Alpha and Z are using Chatgpt and other AI tools to help with, and sometimes even do their academic work, then they are using that same AI to guide them regarding the cosmetics to use for that perfect look every day.
They were born immersed in the digital world and played around with digital devices since before they knew how to talk. So, the virtual and immersive environments digital devices create come second nature.
Maybe that’s why they prefer to experiment using AI tools instead of simply going to the mall for a free makeover like their predecessors would. They also are more receptive to virtual consultations and skincare analyses when they seek beauty tips. Companies are responding by integrating AI heavily into their consultation sessions.
Gender Neutral Beauty is In
For a generation that grew up when transgender was being normalized, that may be expected. Gen Z women want makeup that’s designed for men now. Companies are responding by developing gender-neutral products and brands.
Gen Z Women Are Challenging the Status Quo
Gen Z women may emphasize originality and individuality when they do their makeup. However, they are also doing so socially, albeit in a different way than women did in the 1960s. The Internet didn’t exist in the 1960s, so what was done by word of mouth and physical social interactions is now being done virtually on social platforms and with a global reach.
