Somewhere between Sephora sales and the rise of wellness influencers, consumerism hijacked what self-care truly is. Social media is full wellness gummies, GLP-1 products to suppress appetite and pimple patches of all shapes and sizes. Creators are paid to promote products and users’ feeds are flooded with advertisements.
Self-care is meant to protect people’s well-being, but nowadays industries have appropriated it. As a result, people believe beauty products are essential to improve their lives.
Students are under tremendous pressure while trying to balance academics, social life and work. As everyone adjusts to the new semester, they have to find methods to protect their mental health. However, it’s crucial that students find a way to care for themselves without falling into the trap of overconsumption.
Maggie Albright-Pierce, a psychology and neuroscience professor, believes self-care is equated with beauty products, especially for women, and society prioritizes improving physical appearance instead of mental health.
“Influencers have a job to sell you things, and so I think it’s become a little bit more about luxury and materialistic things,” Albright-Pierce said. “I don’t think that having a really expensive skincare routine is self-care.”
The beauty industry has grown exponentially during the past few years, raking in $570 billion of revenue in 2023 alone. This figure represents a 9.3% growth since 2022 and its profits are slated to grow 8.4% annually into 2028, Forbes reported.
Younger people are prominent contributors to the self-care business. On average, Gen Z is spending upwards of $2,000 a year on skin care, second only to millennials. Fifty percent of Gen Z were willing to cut back on other expenses to ensure they could afford self-care items, according to a December 2024 study by Statista.
The aestheticization of skin care on social media encourages younger people to purchase expensive products. This marketing strategy causes teens and tweens to flock to beauty retailers at higher rates than before. Expensive cosmetics are becoming a status symbol for young adults and children, CNN reported.
College students are also susceptible to consumerism trends and might purchase things hoping they will fix their insecurities or help them cope with burn out.
Sianni Mejia believes that companies prey on insecurities as a method of advertising for their brands or products.
“You might have cellulite, like this one thing is happening and you should try and hide it or change it and this is exactly how. I feel like with that whole approach, it’s definitely unhealthy and unnecessary,” said Mejia, a junior art therapy major.
High levels of stress are positively associated with increased shopping trips among college students and retail as form of therapy is widely used as a regulation technique. Increased purchases also reinforce the idea of success in creating a cycle of continuous purchases, according to an October 2024 study in the Journal of Economics, Business and Management.
Retail therapy has become a common method to help people relax. It’s understandable for some to use it as a form of self-care, however, students should try to be mindful and consider the purpose of their purchases to avoid falling into consumerist shopping patterns they can’t afford.
More than 60% of college students meet the criteria for at least one mental health disorder with 44% reporting depression symptoms and 37% experiencing anxiety, according to the National Education Association Today, an organization working toward justice and excellence in public education.
Danica Godshall believes self-care can mean something different for each person and it doesn’t have to rely on commodities, as it can be practiced in a variety of ways that don’t involve a transaction.
“I try to journal every day, move my body and I try to eat healthy. Really it just comes down to make sure I have time for myself every day and setting that time aside.” said Godshall, a junior
advertising major. “If self-care looks like sitting down in a chair and taking an hour to reset, then you should do that.”
Some students may use self-care products to cope with a stressful day, but they shouldn’t feel pressured to buy the most expensive options. There are cheaper alternatives by brands like CeraVe, The Ordinary and BYOMA that frequently offer dermatologist-approved products at a fraction of the price.
There are many alternative methods to practice self-care without breaking the bank. This might vary for each person, but some include setting boundaries, going on walks, taking a nap or reading a book.
People can choose what they do with their money, but they shouldn’t feel they need to spend exorbitant amounts on products to practice effective self-care. Consumerism doesn’t have to be a part of self-care. There are many self-care options that are either cheaper or costless that are equally effective and legitimate.
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