Artist Statement
I wanted to copy the various styles of
beauty YouTube videos that I have watched over the years. The video is a
satirical culmination of the beauty industry on YouTube whilst criticizing the
industry from our perspectives. I have used makeup since middle school, and I
started watching these types of videos in high school in order to learn more. However,
the industry can sometimes be a bit monotonous and/or toxic. There are many
trends and once something begins to trend then everyone jumps on the bandwagon.
These makeup videos have become almost
formulaic among all channels. Each video begins with a welcoming introductory
speech about the video topic. Then, the heavily edited video. Lastly, it ends
with the shameless plugging of their other social media handles. I have watched
enough videos that I can recite specific opening songs and phrases (Jackie Aina’s
“Jackie, Jackie, Jackie” song and Jeffree Stars’ “Welcome BACK to my channel!”).
There are specific mannerisms that have become a joke among those that watch
the videos like swatching products, promoting discount codes, and showing a
product in a specific way. We mimic these in the video.
The videos have become miniature
productions. The behind the scenes footage shows what these gurus do in order
to get the highest quality videos. For example, they have expensive setups
complete with cameras, lighting, and monitors. They pay people to edit their
videos to “ensure they make the best content possible” (James Charles). As a
result, the videos have become less personal and more like they are shoving
products in viewers faces in order to make a sale. Despite the criticism, I
still watch these videos because I respect their opinions and skills when it
comes to makeup. Whether or not I use these skills and opinions is up to me. Some
of these channels do criticize the industry when things happen like Jackie
Aina, Nyma Tang, and Jeffree Star. However, most tend to ignore the turmoil
within the community because they are “not that kind of person,” (Tati
Westbrook, Katy DeGroot, and Desi Perkins).
I asked my friend to join me for this
video because I wanted to have someone else that has the same interests and
watches these videos as well. We are always talking about new products and how
we feel about the current scandals going on. I wanted to originally do just a
podcast, but I thought that making a video of us applying makeup as we talked
would be more purposeful. We talked about topics within the beauty community as
we explained the differences in our makeup routines. Our video is a laidback
version- just two girls getting ready and chatting. We are emulating the
“old-school” videos that first became popular on YouTube.
The elements of imagery, identity, and
culture all coincide with cosmetics. Makeup changes depending on the culture-
what is popular here might not be popular in another country. Also, makeup
trends usually come from specific cultures. Unfortunately, a lot of brands
cater towards white consumers at expense of people of color. However, that is
slowly changing as more brands are making it a priority to be more inclusive. Identity
was the biggest factor of this project, whether it was about conformity or
non-conformity. The artistry of makeup is important to some in the sense of
identity. People use makeup to make themselves feel better or to just express
their art. There is no right way to apply makeup even though it may seem like
that based off the majority of videos on YouTube. I have struggled with
insecurities based on my outward appearance and makeup has helped me. I used to
not feel comfortable in my own skin, so I would use makeup to hide behind.
Here
is some data to put into perspective how influential beauty YouTubers are and
how the beauty industry is growing:
According to Reuters, the global
cosmetics market was valued at $532.43 billion in 2017, and is expected to
reach a market value of $805.61 billion by 2023.
According to Forbes, Huda Kattan, of Huda
Beauty, is worth $550 million; Jeffree Star, of Jeffree Star Cosmetics, is
worth $50 million; Michelle Phan, of Em Cosmetics, is worth $50 million; James
Charles is worth $4 million dollars; and the list goes on.
This
is the link to my video:
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