Beauty and Fashion ‘Gurus’ – Promoting Consumerism is Harming Our World

16th June 2016

By Sabrina Milazzo

Let me be honest with you: Something that has been ‘going on’ online, has been bugging me to-the-extreme for quite a while now. I’m not one of those people who has a habit of commenting negatively on blog posts and videos in order to have my say and feel better about myself. No, I’m normally one of those who choose not to speak up and get on with my day.

But a little while back I watched a documentary that hit a raw nerve, and I cannot be silent any longer. What has me so riled up? I’m talking about YouTubes’ so-called ‘beauty and fashion gurus’, their mindless behavior, and the garbage they’re putting out there for the world to see…

21st Century Narcissism: The “Look At Me!” Video

Constantly shopping for one useless product after another or accepting tons of free stuff because of a high paid advertising deal, benefits the vicious addiction of these material girls and boys, and makes the cosmetic and fashion industries prosper. The YouTubers then proudly present their ‘prey’ in crazy delight to the ordinary – by far not as shiny and blessed – teenage consumer that is drooling all over the screen.

If they’re not already in love with fashion, hairstyles and make-up at a very young age, then they likely will be after spending time watching these sorts of presentations. They envy these YouTube ‘stars’ and believe that this is the life and if they could just get their hands on this particular product, they would feel so much better about themselves and even get a glimpse of what it’s like to be just like their idols.

(For more, please see: Assumption Consumption…. and How We’ve Been Sold.)

Trust me when I say I know exactly what I’m talking about with regards to the toxic influence these videos have on the minds of vulnerable young people. Some years ago I was part of these YouTubers’ perfect ‘target audience’ as well. A teenage girl, in love with makeup, always wanting to have new things and be admired for that. But I opened my eyes and realized the insanity of all this shallow consumerism.

(For more, please see: Skin Science – Debunking Cosmetic Industry Propaganda.)

Shopping addictions are common, and to fulfill them to such a high degree requires not only a flush bank account, but also extreme dedication. Instead of writing pages about this, I thought I’d make a video — see below — and show you the madness that I’m talking about. You will soon see that their motto seems to be ‘more is good, but heaps more is even better!’

First and foremost, my video is geared towards the content creators themselves. I hope they will give me 9 minutes of their lives, stop and have a think about what they are doing and take some responsibility by making better choices with the content of the videos they put out there to millions of people every single day. Of course, I’d also like their loyal followers to watch my video, to help them to see that there are much better ways they could spend their time and money, or even inspire the one or other future ‘YouTube star’ to head in a different direction.

I want these people to think twice about wasteful consumption. I want to challenge and inspire them to really make use of their powerful outreach and trigger positive and purposeful change in a world already on the brink of insanity.

Please don’t be a part of the problem — be a part of the solution!

Top image from “Confessions of a Shopaholic” © Touchstone Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

About the author:

Sabrina Milazzo is a German photographer, painter, writer and translator with Italian roots, currently living in Athens, Greece. She enjoys writing critical articles on her blog sabrinamilazzo.net and producing inspirational and educational video content on her YouTube channel. She is also the founder of thelightpaintersloft.com, a source of free to use high quality stock photos for bloggers, designers and other creatives.

You can contact Sabrina via:

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21st Century Narcissism: The “Look At Me!” Video

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