Critical and Feminist Approaches

In the cosmetics Industry

Elisha Lorick

Article OverView ● The women who represents beauty are almost Exclusively White. The easiest

way to confirm society’s belief in whiteness as beauty is to look at the most common images presented as “beautiful women.”

● The more the Anglicized eyes, the better. What does it mean to have beautiful eyes? According to the beauty industry, it means having eyes that look as European as possible.

● Models and Other People in the Industry Who Speak Out Against Racism Get

Penalized. To solve this problem, we have to figure out what’s in the way of

eradicating a Eurocentric standard of beauty – and if you look into it, you’ll find

some very deliberate obstacles in the way.

Article OverView ● This article is about what our culture set our minds to be as women in the

world. We are told that we are supposed to look a certain way in order to be beautiful. We are told that we are beautiful exactly as we are. We are shamed for caring about how we look, and shamed for not caring enough.

● Beauty is officially a feminist issue. As women of all colors and creeds, we are the target market in a gigantic multi- billion- dollar worldwide ad campaign from an unregulated industry that preys on and profits from our deepest insecurities about our bodies.

● The Women’s Liberation Movement did it’s best to call to question the double standards and injustices imposed on women — and the people who perpetrate them.

● To deeper emphasize on that they also discuss feminist movements and what we as women should do to take back our natural way of life, and that it is also okay.

A Theory of Concertive ControlSimple Control involves the direct and authoritarian exertion of control in the workplace. Technological control involves control exerted through technological workplace processes such as assembly lines or computer programs. Bureaucratic control is based on hierarchical structure in the workplace.

Examples…………………………………….

Within cosmetics someone in control would be the C.E.O of the cosmetic company next in line may be the president or vice president. An example of Technological control maybe the brains behind the actual product of even the assembly line of people who makes the specific product.

A Theory of Concertive ControlIdentification refers to perception of oneness with or belongingness to a collective where the individual defines him or herself in terms of the collective in which he or she is a member.

Examples………………

Identification within cosmetics is very simple everyone have their own type of place where they would like to fit in at do they want to help with the design team, or management team or even the top sellers of a company everyone has a fit.

A theory of Concertive Control One of the most important parts of understanding the concertive control theory is discipline.

1. Punishment

Examples…………………….

An example for discipline in the workplace would be someone who messes up on a big project and instead of being angry for them messing up allow them to show you that they can fix it and lead by example.

PRETTY

HURTS

Critical Approaches That Applies to Cosmetics

● Big cosmetic companies will listen to their consumers if enough of them

start demanding safer and more transparent formulations. We can’t

underestimate our power.

● People in the industry just assume that creating an image of beauty means working with white women.

● This has a discouraging impact on women and girls of color. Photo after photo of a standard of beauty that looks nothing like us tells us that beauty is unattainable – because we’ll never be white.

The Critical Approach In Cosmetics

● Imbalances of power lead to alienation and oppression● Role of theorist is to explore and uncover imbalances

and bring them to attention of oppressed.

Goal Accomplished

The means of production Actual work processesWhen owners/managers have control over workplace processes &

technologies the result will be an alienated and oppressed workforce.

The actual process that it take to put the ingredients into a product or your choosing and having technology inquiry if it is actually going to be good for the skin.

The Modes of Production Economic conditions that underlie production processthe way a society is organized to produce goods and services

The way a product is conducted if it natural ingredients and actually good for the skin or not.

Ideology

Structures our thoughts and controls interpretations of realityInvolves assumptions that are rarely questionedCan influence our behaviorsTied to systems of power and domination

Feminist Approaches

Liberal Feminist

Beauty is officially a feminist issue. As women of all colors and creeds, we are the target market in a gigantic multi- billion- dollar worldwide ad campaign from an unregulated industry that preys on and profits from our deepest insecurities about our bodies. Our sense of “beauty” has been hijacked by multinational cosmetics companies led mostly by rich white men.The time has come for us to take our beauty out of their hands and put it back where it belongs... in ours. The Women’s Liberation Movement did it’s best to call to question the double standards and injustices imposed on women — and the people who perpetrate them. Today, I call to question the industry that presumes to decide “what beauty is” without regard for the health and well-being of our bodies or our souls.

Radical Feminist

Standard Point Feminists work to enhance the opportunity for a variety of marginalized voices to be heard within societal dialogue.

Postmodern feminists attempts to deconstruct male dominated meaning systems in order to highlight women's perspective

Radical Feminist believe that the emancipation for women can occur only through the destruction of male- dominated institutions or through the total separation of women from these institutions.

Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is an expression of power, not sexuaility. It is the antithesis of intimacy, self-knowledge and growth.

While there are many framing devices on sexual harassment here is a few ways on how to identify it.

Sexual harassment in the act

Sexual harassment Hotline Facts Call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.

Calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline gives you access to a range of free services including:

● Confidential support from a trained staff member● Support finding a local health facility that is trained to care for survivors of sexual assault and

offers services like sexual assault forensic exams● Someone to help you talk through what happened● Local resources that can assist with your next steps toward healing and recovery● Referrals for long term support in your area● Information about the laws in your community● Basic information about medical concerns

When you call 800.656.HOPE (4673), you’ll be routed to a local RAINN affiliate organization based on the first six digits of your phone number. Cell phone callers have the option to enter the ZIP code of their current location to more accurately locate the nearest sexual assault service provider.

Questions ● Why is it that men feel in charge when it comes to business

relationships?● Is there sexual harassment in the cosmetics industry of the

opposite sex because it is a women led industry?● How many sexual harassment complaints do Sephora

receive in a year?

Works Cited http://everydayfeminism.com/2016/01/when-beauty-equals-white/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roxie-jane-hunt/2015-beauty-takeback-feminism-and-the-beauty-industry_b_6850318.html