Most years have their fair share of highs and lows, but we can probably all agree that 2017's low points were particularly rough. And the beauty industry was no exception. From nail salons discriminating against customers to people shaming each other for their hair, makeup, and body hair choices, there were definitely some moments we'd rather not revisit.
But with the year coming to a close, it's time to pause and review some of the worst beauty headlines over the last 12 tumultuous months. No, it's not going to be fun, but it's important to reflect on the hard lessons we learned before we move into 2018 with a fresh foundation (and maybe a new power lipstick). Click ahead for the offensive, absurd, jarring, and just plain nasty beauty moments that hit the web in 2017 — hopefully never to be seen again.
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@BethTw
Men Shamed Women For Doing Their Makeup En Transit
Unsolicited advice is usually unappreciated, but when it's men spewing rude and nonsensical reactions toward the behavior and appearance of women, it turns from unappreciated to offensive. In one particularly absurd instance, a women was doing her makeup on a bus when a male stranger told her that putting on makeup in public is “unbecoming of a lady.” Here's hoping people learn to mind their own business in 2018...
Unsolicited advice is usually unappreciated, but when it's men spewing rude and nonsensical reactions toward the behavior and appearance of women, it turns from unappreciated to offensive. In one particularly absurd instance, a women was doing her makeup on a bus when a male stranger told her that putting on makeup in public is “unbecoming of a lady.” Here's hoping people learn to mind their own business in 2018...
@MickersMind
The Most Terrifying Hair Tale Was Caught On Video
We wear our dangly jewelry with caution (read: keep it away from grabby baby hands), and try to pay close attention when operating automated hair tools, but accidents still happen. A video that went viral on YouTube showed a women named Sheena in an unfortunate predicament that might become more common in 2037: Her hair got tangled in a drone. Read about the whole debacle here.
We wear our dangly jewelry with caution (read: keep it away from grabby baby hands), and try to pay close attention when operating automated hair tools, but accidents still happen. A video that went viral on YouTube showed a women named Sheena in an unfortunate predicament that might become more common in 2037: Her hair got tangled in a drone. Read about the whole debacle here.
@NimffMcManus
Someone Drank Beautyblender Juice
In news that made us cringe, one Twitter user's brother mistook his sister's soaking Beautyblender for English Breakfast tea. As Refinery29 writer Rachel Krause wrote, "The thought of having so much as a single sip of the murky water makes us want to laugh and cry at the same time, so we can only imagine what it must have tasted like IRL. We sincerely hope we never have to find out." More clinical and unmistakable makeup cleaning techniques might be better in the new year.
In news that made us cringe, one Twitter user's brother mistook his sister's soaking Beautyblender for English Breakfast tea. As Refinery29 writer Rachel Krause wrote, "The thought of having so much as a single sip of the murky water makes us want to laugh and cry at the same time, so we can only imagine what it must have tasted like IRL. We sincerely hope we never have to find out." More clinical and unmistakable makeup cleaning techniques might be better in the new year.
@DanalEntertainment
A Girl Band Got $90,000 Worth Of Plastic Surgery Procedures For A Music Video
Unrealistic beauty standards can F off. And it's not just in the U.S. where women feel the pressure to conform; in Korea, the market for plastic surgery — especially at a young age — is booming. We saw one example of cosmetic enhancements taken to the extreme with SixBomb, a K-pop girl group that made headlines with its plastic surgery “project," which involved the release of a series of video installments documenting the members' journey to "Becoming Prettier" — a journey that cost a collective $90,000.
At R29, we follow the "you do you" philosophy when it comes to plastic surgery, but when it's rooted in societal pressure, the line between choice and expectation gets a little blurry — as was especially the case for one singer in the group who said she really liked her eyes before deciding to get double eyelid surgery with the rest of the group.
Unrealistic beauty standards can F off. And it's not just in the U.S. where women feel the pressure to conform; in Korea, the market for plastic surgery — especially at a young age — is booming. We saw one example of cosmetic enhancements taken to the extreme with SixBomb, a K-pop girl group that made headlines with its plastic surgery “project," which involved the release of a series of video installments documenting the members' journey to "Becoming Prettier" — a journey that cost a collective $90,000.
At R29, we follow the "you do you" philosophy when it comes to plastic surgery, but when it's rooted in societal pressure, the line between choice and expectation gets a little blurry — as was especially the case for one singer in the group who said she really liked her eyes before deciding to get double eyelid surgery with the rest of the group.
@justjared
Madonna’s Daughter Was Armpit-Shamed
Can we just accept the appearance of others? Is it really that difficult? It seems like for some people, it just might be. Case in point: A picture of Madonna's daughter Lourdes was shared on Just Jared's Instagram account earlier this year, and in the photo, Lorde was enjoying some fun in the sun on the beach, in a bathing suit, with a strip of hair peeking out from her armpit. Commenters took the post as an open invitation to slam Lourdes, feminists, and anyone who has ever missed a day of shaving their pits. Can we just not? Read our take on the matter here.
Can we just accept the appearance of others? Is it really that difficult? It seems like for some people, it just might be. Case in point: A picture of Madonna's daughter Lourdes was shared on Just Jared's Instagram account earlier this year, and in the photo, Lorde was enjoying some fun in the sun on the beach, in a bathing suit, with a strip of hair peeking out from her armpit. Commenters took the post as an open invitation to slam Lourdes, feminists, and anyone who has ever missed a day of shaving their pits. Can we just not? Read our take on the matter here.
@butterflyjasmine49
Gross Bugs Turned Up In Our Beauty Products
Bugs and beauty products go together like, well, any two things that should never be together, ever. Yet, unfortunately, a sad byproduct of 2017 was the fusion of creepy crawlers and makeup. One Kylie Cosmetics customer excitedly opened her new lip kit only to find it covered in ants; another woman mistook a large crinkly dead black fly for a false eyelash; and a makeup artist voluntarily put wasps on her lips for the 'Gram.
Bugs and beauty products go together like, well, any two things that should never be together, ever. Yet, unfortunately, a sad byproduct of 2017 was the fusion of creepy crawlers and makeup. One Kylie Cosmetics customer excitedly opened her new lip kit only to find it covered in ants; another woman mistook a large crinkly dead black fly for a false eyelash; and a makeup artist voluntarily put wasps on her lips for the 'Gram.
@bbcnickrobinson
The Makeup-Shaming Continued...
Body-shaming, hair-shaming, makeup-shaming... does it ever end? Over in the political sphere, one reporter chose to fixate on the quality of Prime Minister Theresa May's makeup instead of her stance on the issues. As Krause reported, BBC’s Nick Robinson was criticized for making “sexist” remarks about May’s “thick makeup” during a live broadcast. "His remarks were made especially infuriating by the fact that he implied that May had been so heavy-handed with her makeup because she was trying to conceal her crying about the loss," Krause wrote.
And it's not just women on the receiving end. One man who wore makeup to work in Portsmouth, England was told he had to take it off.
Body-shaming, hair-shaming, makeup-shaming... does it ever end? Over in the political sphere, one reporter chose to fixate on the quality of Prime Minister Theresa May's makeup instead of her stance on the issues. As Krause reported, BBC’s Nick Robinson was criticized for making “sexist” remarks about May’s “thick makeup” during a live broadcast. "His remarks were made especially infuriating by the fact that he implied that May had been so heavy-handed with her makeup because she was trying to conceal her crying about the loss," Krause wrote.
And it's not just women on the receiving end. One man who wore makeup to work in Portsmouth, England was told he had to take it off.
@Refinery29
The World Of Fake (And Dangerous) Cosmetics Exploded
Things got very shady when our West Coast beauty editor Lexy Lebsack went inside the black market of the beauty world earlier this year. We've always known there are some sketchy sectors of the beauty space, but we didn't know just how bad it was until we got deep down in the trenches and saw the chemical burns left on women's faces from counterfeit beauty products, and got a glimpse of the unsanitary conditions in which some of the counterfeit products were produced. Lexy's exposé brought the dangers of the counterfeit beauty black market to light, and it's worth a read (and watch).
Things got very shady when our West Coast beauty editor Lexy Lebsack went inside the black market of the beauty world earlier this year. We've always known there are some sketchy sectors of the beauty space, but we didn't know just how bad it was until we got deep down in the trenches and saw the chemical burns left on women's faces from counterfeit beauty products, and got a glimpse of the unsanitary conditions in which some of the counterfeit products were produced. Lexy's exposé brought the dangers of the counterfeit beauty black market to light, and it's worth a read (and watch).
@Lupita_Nyongo
Natural Hair Was Photoshopped Out Of Magazine Shoots
We can't believe this needs repeating, but here goes: Black women's hair is their own. Don't touch it, don't ban it, and certainly don't edit it out in post-production, like Grazia UK did to Lupita Nyong'o and the Evening Standard did to Solange. After swift backlash, the former publication's photographer apologized, calling the decision to alter Nyong'o's hair "a monumental mistake," and the Evening Standard offered its "unreserved apologies" for erasing the singer's braids. Here's hoping 2018 will be about celebrating natural textures, not controlling them.
We can't believe this needs repeating, but here goes: Black women's hair is their own. Don't touch it, don't ban it, and certainly don't edit it out in post-production, like Grazia UK did to Lupita Nyong'o and the Evening Standard did to Solange. After swift backlash, the former publication's photographer apologized, calling the decision to alter Nyong'o's hair "a monumental mistake," and the Evening Standard offered its "unreserved apologies" for erasing the singer's braids. Here's hoping 2018 will be about celebrating natural textures, not controlling them.
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