The Glazed Donut Paradigm
My Gen Z daughter informed me today that Hailey Bieber, celebrity wife and skin care maven, has as a mantra that she wants to look like (and by extension wants her customers to look like) a glazed donut. It’s the basis of her branding, and her team is doing a killer job of glazing the hell out of Rhode Skincare. Kudos!
But still, WTF?
Hailey is in her twenties, so I guess wanting to resemble a sugary breakfast treat is on brand? I do understand that this is a signifier for dewy skin. I could get into a long diatribe about how modern ‘glowing’ can easily descend into shiny AF, but that’s mostly a rant and possibly not germane.
Suffice to say that when I hear ‘glazed donut’, I do not immediately think ‘poreless magnificence’.
I was shamed (legitimately) by this same daughter for being dismissive of men’s skin care. (I think she mentioned peptides. Which, really?) I may have expressed that I’m a fan of a more old-fashioned soap and water masculinity, and I fully realize that I’m damning men to stay in their lane, heteronormatively speaking.
What can I say? I like what I like.
In truth I was taken aback recently while watching an Instagram reel in which Brad Pitt talked about his skin care routine. (FYI, he washes, moisturizes and then applies serum. Now you know.) It was a tiny bit disappointing to me that he has a skin care routine, but obviously that pretty face is part of his charm and maintaining it is, like, his job or something.
Sue me! I’m old AND old fashioned. Also, of all the women you have ever met I probably have the least impressive skin care ‘regimen’, and I’ve got the lines to prove it. I wash when I’m dirty and put on moisturizer when I remember. So obviously I don’t know what I’m talking about.
What I do know is that I do not want to resemble a donut. Or, for that matter, Froot Loops, salmon nigiri, or peach kombucha. Has our food obsession now melded with our beauty obsession? Help me.