Welcome to Information Wasteland, a series about the many ways misinformation is worming its way into our algorithms and minds, wreaking havoc on our culture. Here, style editor Donya Momenian looks at the lack of transparency in beauty influencing as misinformation.
When she was 12, Paloma Sanchez bought an anti-cellulite cream she saw going viral on social media. “In my mind I was like, ‘This is going to fix me,’” she tells Teen Vogue. “And it didn’t do anything. It’s probably a gimmick, and that feeling of, ‘Oh wow, this did not work. What am I doing wrong? I’m not good enough,’ that’s horrible.”
For anyone, but particularly for young people who are navigating changes in their bodies, influencers and beauty brands marketing products that help reinforce strict or unattainable beauty norms can impact self-image in really negative ways. But there’s even more to the story in today’s social media landscape: from fillers to filters, some on social media are using shady practices to sell products.
This might mean an influencer promoting a mascara while not disclosing that they have lash extensions, or selling an expensive skin-care routine but secretly using Facetune to smooth out their look. It could also be claiming one’s glass skin is the result of a cream, when it’s really the product of fillers and facials, or that weight loss is thanks to diet and exercise when GLP-1 drugs are the cause. Now a content creator herself, this is the kind of thing Sanchez wants to pull back the curtain on.
“I’m in a place now where I’m trying to kind of radically accept myself how I am, and I want to share that with my followers as well, knowing that we are in the age of quick fixes, of shots that can help you do whatever these days,” she says. “And I just think at its core, the outcome isn’t always going to be positive. I never want to encourage people to chase a trend or a look.”
To comply with consumer-protection laws, the Federal Trade Commission advises influencers to disclose any personal or financial relationship with brands, taking steps like clearly distinguishing sponsored content from their other posts or noting that they received products for free. Similarly, the FTC states that influencers can’t make claims about a product that the company wouldn’t be able to back with proof. While this is the established legal baseline, that doesn’t mean influencers always comply with the rules.
Dental student and content creator Sunny Poudel called out the lack of transparency on her TikTok as she documented getting skin-care treatments done by professionals. Saying the procedures transformed her skin, she posited that other influencers also get them but don’t provide disclosures to their followers, only to then promote products that they claim had those effects instead.
“I was that kid once who was on social media who didn’t know about these treatments, who didn’t know the things that people get done,” Poudel tells Teen Vogue. “So I would’ve loved to see someone older, someone that I looked up to speak on that and just be honest about it. So I just thought that was my chance to just like, ‘Okay, let me be real and say how I feel.’”
Poudel has also seen some cases that demonstrate the effects of misinformation as a dental student.
“There’ll be some patients who are coming in and they want teeth whitening, but they’re showing a picture like, ‘I want this color.’ It’s someone with a filter. It’s so unrealistic. And I think that’s where it starts being a little scary because you realize how the lines can be so blurry and people think something really unrealistic can be so realistic,” she says.
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Diane Hibbard, chief treatment officer at California-based spa chain Burke Williams, has observed this too. Reflecting on the glass skin trend, for example, which is focused on reducing the visibility of pores to create a smooth, glossy base, she says, “The beauty industry can come up with all these new terms, and yes, there are definitely ways to make your skin appear brighter, more luminous, and radiant, but you’re never going to eliminate your pores. It creates an unrealistic expectation when people want their skin to look like it does through filters. At the end of the day, skin is a living organ designed to function in a very specific way.” Ultimately, she says, “as professionals, we can guide you toward achieving the healthiest, most radiant version of your skin, but truly poreless, ‘glass skin’ isn’t realistic.”
“I think being a woman on this planet, especially online, means you’re constantly subject to the ever-changing beauty standard. It’s like a hamster wheel; you can’t ever really catch up. One day it’s short hair, the next it’s long. Puffy cheeks are in one week, then suddenly it’s all about sculpted ones. It’s always evolving. And honestly, it’s something I’ve struggled with my whole life. I’ve never looked like my favorite creators,” Hibbard tells Teen Vogue.
For people who grew up in the early days of Instagram, there was a particular aesthetic that was popularized during Kylie Jenner’s King Kylie era. Think heavily contoured cheeks and jawlines juxtaposed by thick brows and plump lips. Like we see from others now, at that time, Jenner avoided the topic of her lips entirely or chalked the notable differences to growing up, pouting, or lip liner. She later admitted to lip fillers. In a November 2015 interview with Elle Canada, she said, "I don't want to be a bad role model. I don't want my fans to think they have to get lip fillers or look like me in any way." Later that month, she released her first lip liner and lipstick kits.
There are many valid reasons as to why a content creator may not want to share what treatments they get done or filters they use on the internet. Influencers aren’t obligated to share everything they do, and viewers aren’t owed that. But issues can arise when viewers, especially those who are young and impressionable, are being promised a holy grail product in order to make sales and feed the algorithm, without realizing that the results they see on the screen may be enhanced.
Lauren Hartman, MD, who is double licensed in adolescent medicine and pediatrics with a specialty in treating pediatric eating disorders, says that beyond money wasted on products that don’t work, this kind of marketing can have mental health implications. “I think the level that worries me even more is the isolation that people feel, where you feel like, ‘Why me? What’s wrong with me that this thing didn’t work for me?’”
The reality is that many of the insecurities heightened by social media are actually norms. “I want every teen to know that roughly 90% of teenagers get acne. That’s what’s normal," Dr. Hartman says. "Not having perfect skin or perfect hair is actually the common experience. Your bodies and hormones are all changing. When teens don't realize this, it can be really isolating and create loneliness. They start blaming themselves and doubting themselves at the very time when self-esteem and sense of self-worth are developing. It worries me a lot in that regard.”
That’s why it’s important to Poudel to relate to the audience as a content creator: “I think the biggest thing is to always think about if you were that kid who’s scrolling on the internet, you’re 12 years old, you’re going through puberty, you have acne, you’re suffering through insecurities, you’re comparing yourself to other kids.”
Hibbard says she likes to remind people that not every product is for everyone. For instance, despite what some influencers may say, using anti-aging products when you’re too young can damage your skin, according to dermatologists. Further, if you are interested in a product you see on social media, look for independent reviews to help determine if the product is truly a fit for you. Even if you only go once, Hibbard also suggests seeing a facialist to learn about your skin type, overall skin health, and appropriate product recommendations — which will help you build a foundation for doing research on your own. A dermatologist can also guide you, providing expert and medical insight into your skin.
“Just take a moment, especially when you’re younger, to recognize that you are being influenced,” Hibbard says. “There’s a massive marketing machine designed to turn you into a consumer and convince you to spend. And that’s fine, we’re all going to buy things. But don’t be afraid to buy yourself a little time. Be thoughtful about where your money goes, and invest in what’s truly going to help you.”
Dr. Hartman suggests working on media literacy: “Who are they selling this to? What body types are missing here? Why do we think they only are showing some body types and not others? Or who do you think they’re really trying to market this to? Do we think there’s editing here? What kind of Photoshop and photo editing or AI do you think happened there?”
As simple as it may seem, these lines of questioning can help make it more enjoyable to consume social media content. It can also help you better connect with what’s truly important, says Sanchez, which is "working with what you have and accepting yourself how you are.”
