Why does capitalism encourage impossible beauty standards?
- Feb 10
- 5 min read
Written By: Giselle Wong
Edited by: Aiza Shahzad
Capitalism is an economic and political system in which private owners control a country’s trade and industry for profit. Private ownership can lead to various problems due to the nature of capitalism, which aims to maximise profits. For example, in this article, I will discuss the negative effects it has on consumers' body image and why it benefits firms.
Why and how do companies make money through insecurity?
The primary motive for firms is to maximise profit. To generate income, one of the most efficient strategies is to induce insecurities in consumers and take advantage of their vulnerability, so they must find a ‘solution’ to ‘fix’ their flaws. This means the demand for beauty products will be somewhat inelastic as insecurity guarantees life-long consumers.[1] Moreover, such insecurity is based on a ‘perfect’ standard for people to hold themselves against, and those physical ideals are often biologically impossible and intentionally made contradictory, such as the classic example of desiring a thin waist but a curvy body, meaning the final consumption will not be achieved. The rising popularity of social media has also worsened this manifestation, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ‘vulnerability may be experienced not only by some consumers, but increasingly by the vast majority of, if not all, consumers’.[3] Social media exposes these goods/content to everyone, hence, vulnerability is no longer targeted towards a specific demographic but rather affecting the majority of consumers depending on market conditions and business practices.
Another strategy is through shifting beauty standards and reducing our bodies into mere trends. Once a certain beauty standard is given sufficient time, some will achieve it; while some will give up, implying that a fall in demand for the product should be expected. Since the profit relies on consumers’ vulnerability, the dissatisfaction of our bodies must continue. Shifting standards are not limited to physical properties but also one’s mentality.[2]
A company that perfectly demonstrated this shift is Victoria’s Secret. In the 1990s-2000s, there was a clear beauty standard to achieve - only the thin, young, and predominantly white bodies were celebrated and represented in clothing lines, cosmetics, or as role models for young girls to aspire to be. However, body positivity has taken over the world recently, with the idea centering around ‘self-love’ and confidence. The trend of ‘being your best self’ has encouraged empowerment. While it is an applaudable fact that there is more diversity and less overt sexualisation, there is a sense of irony in these campaigns (not limited to Victoria’s Secret) that advertise their products as necessities for self-care in order for consumers to receive approval.[2] Consumers face a lose-lose situation; when the validation is not received, insecurities magnify, insinuating that more goods will be consumed and, therefore, forming an unhealthy cycle. In other words, firms would ‘engineer’ insecurities to consumers with ‘dark commercial patterns…to subvert consumer decision-making practices’ by, for example, targeted beauty ads and social media marketing.[3] This proves that there is an intentional design to each trend that we are chasing.
How do companies promote insecurities?
One way companies promote insecurity is through idealised representations in advertising with models, photoshopped images, and influencers. Firms deliberately choose bodies that are rare and conventionally attractive, so that there is a standard for consumers to compare themselves to.[4] Although, some would argue that this is not the most profitable way of marketing because the narrow range of exemplars means a smaller marketing demographic, so the demand decreases. However, brands like Victoria’s Secret, Chanel, and Prada are not trying to reflect the customers - they are selling a fantasy that once you possess this product, the gap between you and the model narrows. The models are not supposed to look ordinary; they are meant to look like who you could become; if the models look ‘too ordinary,’ so will the products, meaning the utility will fall and demand decreases.
Moreover, the scarcity principle dictates that humans place a higher value on things that are harder to obtain. By using these narrow standards, Victoria’s Secret made femininity itself feel exclusive, building an illusion that once you obtain these products, you would have the same status as the models. Furthermore, uniform bodies create a clear brand identity which will allow consumers to instantly recognise the brand when it is presented - the Victoria's Secret models become a symbol rather than individuals. This strengthens brand power, propelling Victoria’s Secret into a global sensation which allows premium pricing. If the representatives are too broad, the diverse bodies complicate the brand’s image, and therefore dilute the fantasy. Currently, social media is advocating for diversity in brands, boycotts and protests are occurring more frequently if the public feels there is limited diversity. This means the approach to exclusivity stops being profitable, so the firm must make a market correction.
Popularisation of pop-culture
While the Western fashion and beauty brands use idealised fantasies to sell products, pop and influencer culture represents a more extreme version of this as the person themselves becomes a product. Entertainment agencies sell faces, bodies, youth and perfection directly; similarly to beauty brands, they are providing a certain fantasy with the artist. Capitalism is taken further as the artists’ appearance becomes the core value, while music and acting become secondary to visual appeal. Once the fantasy/visuals disappear, sales drop as people are not interested in their artistry. To artists, this means that they have to constantly embody flawlessness which normalises plastic surgery as it is framed as a rational economic decision necessary for ‘investment’ in future success. Objective beauty means there are more expected returns (i.e., more sales, endorsements); bodies are treated as capital goods. In addition, as visuals appeal become primary, it encourages parasocial attachment - beauty increases engagement, loyalty, and spending. Fans would buy multiple versions of the same album and products that they endorse. This deepens insecurity because artists are not treated as real people but rather as models that fans can constantly compare themselves to, leading to a cycle of consuming ‘beauty products’ in order to look like them. This is very beneficial for firms economically as there is a clear path to success which they can repeat for maximum profit - presenting a pretty artist as their endorser with a relatively low cost while the return grows larger with accumulation.
In conclusion, capitalism encourages impossible beauty standards because it brings in profit, which is the main motive for firms, while ignoring some serious psychological issues for both consumers and models/influencers. Changes will not happen if we, as consumers, allow the same cycle to repeat, silently condoning profits at the cost of dehumanisation, arguably more common in women. Consumer insecurity is not a personal failing but a predictable outcome of market structures that profit from emotional and psychological exposure.
Bibliography:
1. Jessica DeFino, “How White Supremacy and Capitalism Influence Beauty Standards,” Teen Vogue, October 19, 2020,
2. Rohitha Naraharisetty, “Pretty Under Capitalism,” The Swaddle, December 3, 2023, https://www.theswaddle.com/pretty-under-capitalism.
3. Consumer Vulnerability in the Digital Age, DSTI/CP(2021)7/FINAL (Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], July 3, 2023),
4. Servos, Jeralynn. The Thin Ideal and Body Positivity: How Do Influencers Affect Female Instagram Users? Master’s thesis, University of Southern Mississippi, 2022. https://aquila.usm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1950&context=masters_theses.
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