Back on November 19, Democrats proposed enacting a five percent tax on elective cosmetic procedures as a way to raise six billion dollars to pay for the nation’s healthcare system overhaul. Immediately dubbed the “Botax” by pundits, the idea drew instant fire from cosmetic surgeons, dermatologists and women who enjoy free access to the cosmetic procedures that enhance their appearances and often their self-esteem.
One of our areas of greatest interest and academic study is the intersection of beauty and the brain. A great deal of research has shown that having cosmetic improvements improves one’s mood, self-image and quality of life. It’s not known yet whether that improvement is purely due to greater confidence and pleasure in seeing oneself looking younger and more attractive, or whether there is a mechanism that affects brain function (akin to reports from women with Botox injections that they have a harder time crying). What remains clear is that improvements in beauty tend to correlate with improvements in mental state. So what does lawmakers’ willingness to tax breast implants and tummy tucks say about our attitude toward beauty?
Let’s use other popular taxes as a parallel. The most common tax on elective “lifestyle” choices is the “sin tax” placed on cigarettes and hard liquor in most states. These taxes are levied in part because smoking and drinking are perceived as potentially harmful activities that are basically recreational luxuries; the taxes are, in part, a way of the government saying, “If you’re going to do these things and cause potential problems such as drunk driving and lung cancer, we’re going to tax you for the privilege.” So, by this logic, is Congress saying that cosmetic procedures are equally frivolous and harmful choices made primarily by women (who, by the way, make up only 91 of the 535 seats in the legislative branch)?
That might be overstating, but it’s clear that the message being sent is that Botox and the many other procedures upon which women (86 percent of patients are women) spend billions per year are a somewhat frivolous luxury primarily enjoyed by rich people with too much time on their hands. This could not be more wrong. First of all, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 60 percent of women who get work done have household incomes between $30,000 and $90,000 a year. These are not the idle rich, and a five percent levy would have a real impact on their lives.
More importantly, while a small minority of cosmetic procedures may be playthings for desperate cougars trying to defy time, most women are simply trying to look and feel their best, correct what they see as defects, and enhance the quality of their lives. Beauty matters; it shapes our self-image, our relationships and our career opportunities. It is not an idle luxury nor a socially costly habit like smoking two packs a day, and it should not be forced by a tax into the “sin” category. Beauty, and the doctors and patients who pursue it, should be given their proper respect.
There’s an old saying that goes, “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good.” Meaning that no matter how dire a situation, there’s almost always someone who benefits. Case in point: this seemingly bottomless economy. Amidst layoffs, a catastrophic foreclosure rate and all the rest of the news that makes us afraid to switch the TV to CNBC, there are people who are doing well. In the beauty sector, it’s the makers and sellers of discount beauty products.
This article from Inc. magazine tells us that while 40 percent of women say they are delaying their purchases of beauty products like moisturizers and cosmetics, one-third are switching to cheaper products, prompted not only by the economy and lower prices but by increasingly common revelations that many less costly products are just as effective as the luxury brands. This new trend, which pundits are calling “econochic,” is paying off big for the makers of low-end beauty accoutrements: one company, Yes to Carrots, that sells via Target, Rite Aid Pharmacy and Walgreens, projects a 30 percent increase in sales in 2009 despite the terrible economy. So we’d suggest that right after “food, water and shelter” we add “foundation” to the list of things we simply cannot live without.
But why? We’re diagnosticians by trade, so we’re always interested in the underlying causes of things, whether it’s a skin condition, emotional trauma or a societal trend. Why should it be that in the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, so many women refuse to give up shopping for beauty products? In the past, we’ve made the case that it’s about controlling what you can control and keeping self-esteem strong at a time when so much seems terrifyingly out of control. But now we think our continued, stubborn focus on looking our best—at a time when we could easily justify going cold turkey on all beauty products—is also about something else.
It’s about competition.
Of course. As we talk about in The Beauty Prescription, we are wired to regard attractive people more highly than plain people. Study after study has shown that we trust beautiful people more, pay them better, treat them with more respect when we encounter them on the street, and even give them a better shake in the justice system. Good looking men and women get a better deal out of human society, and may even live longer. So right now, with unemployment approaching 10 percent and millions competing for the same shrinking pool of jobs, why wouldn’t women try to give themselves a competitive advantage by looking as great as possible?
We’re not talking about something as shallow as using sex appeal to get a job, though some women may do that. No, we’re talking about leveraging our evolutionary baggage that makes us assume that attractive individuals are smarter, more socially adept, more trustworthy and more capable than people who look ordinary. In a cutthroat economic environment where many people are struggling simply to survive, the edge in appearance gained by using some moisturizer and lip liner—even if it’s a discount brand—can literally be the difference between getting work and paying the mortgage or ending up homeless. Beauty is part of the arsenal of weapons that we use to survive in tough times. It always has been, all the way back to Cleopatra and Helen of Troy.
So if you’re part of that newly invigorated market for discount beauty products, don’t be embarrassed by your penny pinching. You’re actually adapting to the current circumstances better than many women. Because eventually this economy will recover, and it’s the women who have kept themselves looking and feeling great all along who will be on top.
Sometimes, pop culture and science meet in ways that are pretty ridiculous. The latest example is the renewed attention being given to a study conducted in 2005 by doctors Leif Nelson and Evan Morrison and published in the February 2005 Psychological Science (the abstract of the study can be found here). The study says that in essence, when economic times are hard—or in what the researchers called “times of resource scarcity”—men prefer women who are heavier by a whopping two or three pounds. So ladies, the strategy is clear: hit the Hometown Buffet near you every night for a week, then hang out at the unemployment office and you’re sure to meet that future Mr. Right…or Mr. Sort-of-OK.
All kidding aside, is this science? It seems like the worst kind of pop sociology to us—data applied liberally to a barely-known aspect of human behavior and then broad stroke conclusions drawn. But Dr. Terry Pettijohn II has a theory about what might be at work here. He’s a psychologist who has done research in the same vein and his opinion is that when men are flush, they are attracted more to women who are childlike: slender, willowy, nubile. But when times get rough, men become more like women, who are hard-wired to gravitate toward strong men who can be good providers for them and their offspring. Pettijohn thinks that a few extra pounds make a woman seem sturdier, tougher, more able to survive hard times. Translation: when money is short and jobs are insecure, men want a woman whom they don’t have to “take care of.”
So what does this mean? That the recession is going to be a boom time for women with normal bodies of all shapes and sizes and the decline of the size-zero waif? Probably not. Studies like this inevitably overreach, and this one is probably no exception. We suspect something else may be at work here: low self-esteem on the part of economically depressed men. We live in a culture where men in particular are defined by what they do for a living and how they provide for their loved ones. After all, men can’t make babies. Instead, they build, create, innovate and invent (women do those things, too, but bear with us). When they are unemployed or in dire career straits, men feel less attractive because society tells them they are less desirable. So they unconsciously set their sights lower, figuring a truly “hot” woman wouldn’t be attracted to them because perhaps their financial desperation is written on their faces, their slumped shoulders, and their worn shoes.
That makes as much sense to us as any theory and ties in perfectly with our beliefs about Inner Beauty: when you feel confident, you are beautiful to yourself and others. With so many millions of men and women feeling powerless in this terrible economy, it’s going to be a challenge for this generation to find their own inner beauty and self-esteem…and it’s better if they ignore questionable pop-culture science like this.
Well, so much for the idea that doctors are any more “recession-proof” than anyone else.
We’ve heard that statement a lot recently. Along with morticians, peace officers and firefighters, physicians are supposed to have some sort of “Get Out of Recession Free” card when it comes to an economic downturn, presumably because people still get sick, need therapy and so on. But we’ve already seen evidence that it’s a false idea, as hospitals are losing money and some are threatened with closure. So it should come as no surprise that cosmetic surgeons are seeing a downturn in their business.
After all, people are already delaying treatment and skipping medication for serious health problems because they lack health insurance or can’t afford the co-pays, so it’s hardly a shock that more are passing altogether on elective procedures. That’s what the Chicago-based American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery says is happening. In a survey of 242 members released on January 14, the Academy revealed that nearly 80% of cosmetic surgery practices had reported a drop in business, with the average being a whopping 50% reduction in the third quarter of 2008.
The Economic Impact Survey also showed that more and more patients are choosing cheaper, less-invasive procedures than when the economy was strong and they felt flush. In fact, since all cosmetic surgeons have to train in another specialty before going into cosmetic medicine, the survey found that about one-third are going back to former areas of training such as general surgery, ear/nose/throat or obstetrics & gynecology in order to make a living during these tough times. Those who don’t want to go that route are shoring up their practices with cosmetic procedures that are more commonly done by a dermatologist: fillers, Botox, liposuction, chemical peels and microdermabrasion.
In fact, these non-invasive or minimally-invasive options are just about the only cosmetic procedures that are becoming more common, with reports coming in that the rates of Botox injections are actually up around the country. What does this say about us as a people, especially since just a few posts ago we reported that people are still spending on beauty products such as cosmetics and skin care products? Well, it’s obvious that there’s an inverse relationship between the cost of the procedure and the willingness to have it done. A $30 jar of moisturizer is fine, but $2,000 for an eyelid lift…that’s going to have to wait until the stock market goes back up.
Clearly, we still are willing to spend money and invest in our looks. It remains a priority for the same reason we discussed in that last post: because it gives us control over some aspect of things when it seems like everything else is spinning so out of control. But we are becoming more luxury-conscious, and there’s a self-imposed “frugality line” that we won’t cross. Hard economic times cause most of us to “reboot” our priorities and take a hard look at what is worth paying for and what must be put off, and the answer is different for everyone. For some women, getting a regular microdermabrasion treatment in her dermatologist’s office will remain a priority even if she can’t afford a new pair of shoes; for another, she’ll make her own facial scrub with kitchen ingredients or do without.
Our theory is, the more your outer beauty is a critical aspect of your self-image and the more your self-esteem depends on it, the more willing you will be to spend money you might not have on cosmetic treatments. The more comfortable you are with yourself on the inside, the more likely you’ll probably be to go back to basics until things turn around. Inner beauty, thank goodness, tends to be free. As the economic situation plays out, we’ll see if our theory is correct.
Remember when the words “organic” and “natural” used to mean something when you saw them on a product label? We used to assume that when we saw those terms, what we were putting on or in our bodies was as pure and unaltered by chemicals as possible. Now, that’s not always the case. For one thing, the Food & Drug Administration has become very lax in the rules about what is allowed to be called “natural” in packaged foods. Now an ingredient that was derived from a natural source but has been processed to a fare-thee-well can be called “natural flavoring.” As for organic, it’s become such big business that huge corporate agriculture can gotten into the game. So-called “Big Organic” is competing with the mom-and-pop farms, driving down prices, and lobbying for weaker organic certification standards—all to get a piece of the booming $30 billion pie.
What does this have to do with beauty? Plenty, because there’s concern these days about the profusion of dangerous chemicals in cosmetics and skin care products, from parabens to phthalates. Certainly, we’re all looking for the products that will protect our skin and keep it healthy and attractive, but at the same time, we don’t want to slather ourselves in chemicals that can cause allergic reactions, immune system problems, hormone disruption or worse. But with the words “natural” and “organic” compromised and turned into marketing slogans, what can women trust to ensure that they’re getting the chemical-free products they seek?
There is a certification standard that can be relied on, called ECOCERT®. ECOCERT® is an internationally recognized organic certification managed by a French company. Its use guarantees that products bearing it have been formulated and manufactured with ecological responsibility, and that 100% of the ingredients are of a natural origin. Companies can only gain ECOCERT® certification if:
No pre-treatment is used in any of the raw materials found in organic products.
All suppliers pass an extensive quality and purity review before their raw materials are approved.
Manufacturing and packaging facilities pass a rigorous inspection.
All packaging is recyclable.
One of the best things about seeing the ECOCERT® certification is that it has nothing to do with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which certifies food products but has no jurisdiction over color cosmetics. Many women assume that the government oversees the content of such products, but that’s not the case. That’s why ECOCERT® provides such peace of mind: you know that a responsible testing body has determined that the contents of what you’re putting on your skin is completely natural. And if one of your New Year’s resolutions was to live greener this year, this is a great way to know that you’re spending your money on products that are gentle on natural resources, reduce pollution and help support small farmers and companies. That’s beautiful in many ways.
Stay beautiful (and look for our reports from the Obama Inauguration),
Unless you’ve been living in seclusion on a deserted tropical island for the last year (lucky you), you’re quite aware of the Big R: Recession. We’re in one, it’s ugly and it looks like it might get a lot uglier. People are cutting back on everything from travel to buying new appliances, rediscovering frugal activities like gardening and do-it-yourself repairs, and clipping every coupon in sight to try and save money. You may already be doing some or all of those things yourself in an effort to survive the tough times. So what are we to make of this news?
According to a survey of more than 11,500 people in more than a dozen countries including Brazil, Greece, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey, Britain and the United States, people are still spending the same amount on cosmetics and other beauty products as they did before the economic collapse. The data show that 41% of the people surveyed planned to maintain their spending levels on beauty products such as cosmetics, skin care products and hair care products, while 55% of respondents said they would spend more on healthcare products and only 17% would spend less.
What does this say about us? Does it makes sense that we’re cancelling vacations, not buying cars and washing machines and counting pennies at the supermarket, but still shelling out for Garnier and Neutrogena? We think that it does. Everyone needs to feel they have a sanctuary, especially when times are hard or frightening, as they are now. For women, that sanctuary often becomes the knowledge that no matter what else happens, we are taking care of our appearance and our health. It’s an aspect of control; we cannot control the Dow Jones average, the housing market or whether we’ll be laid off next month, but we can control how we care for our skin, watch our diet, style our hair and so on. Paying attention to and money for self-care products gives us a psychological safe harbor for our Inner Beauty, a little bit of armor for the world that lets us say, “At least I look and feel good,” no matter what else happens.
So shop smart and save where you can, but if you feel the drive to care for your looks and your health while you’re cutting back everywhere else, don’t feel guilty. Allow yourself a little indulgence. Keep taking your vitamins and omega-3s, keep using moisturizer and sunscreen, and treat yourself to some time getting your hair or nails done once in a while. It doesn’t make you wasteful. It makes you wise. Spending a few dollars on beauty is a small price to pay to keep your spirits up and help you feel like you can take on an increasingly harsh world.
The economic news just seems to get worse and worse, doesn’t it? First the unemployment rate jumps, then the stock market drops, and the cycle starts again. And at the end of the day, we as consumers start getting more and more nervous about spending money on anything but the necessities. Luxuries become things to be deferred for another day, and apparently that includes beauty products. Usually one of the steadiest sectors of the marketplace, fragrance, makeup and skin care products are showing that they’re not recession-proof, either.
According to Women’s Wear Daily, spending on all major categories of beauty products is down 1% going into the all-important holiday season. No big deal? Well, consider that 1% of the total annual beauty spending in the U.S. equals about $70 million. That’s nothing to shake a lipstick at. Now, we’re doctors, not economists, so we’re not going to weigh in on the impact of the drop in beauty spending. But we are going to say a thing or two about the importance of investing a little bit, even during tough times, in keeping yourself looking great outside and feeling great inside.
Our basic advice is, if you’re in the habit of spending a certain amount on cosmetics, skin care products, “cosmeceuticals” or regular manicures, cut what you need to feel more secure, but don’t stop spending on your beauty completely. It’s too important. From a Beauty-Brain Loop perspective, you should always be doing what you can to keep yourself looking as good as possible, because that affects your Inner Beauty, your self-esteem and feeling of confidence. And since beauty is often a sign of good health, focusing on the essentials of beauty is also a good way to ensure that you’re taking the basic steps to maintain your health, something that’s vital for dealing with stressful times.
What are the “beauty essentials” you should not cut back on? Here’s our list:
Moisturizer with sunscreen. If you can afford only one beauty product, this is the one to get. Great brands include…
Hair care products. These include a shampoo that’s right for your type of hair and a conditioner with an SPF factor such as…
Lipstick or lip gloss with moisturizer and SPF. As we said in an earlier post, the lips are the doorway to your beauty, what attracts the eye and the interest. Take care of them. Good choices include…
Skin-healthy foods such as blueberries, raspberries and blackberries (which contain powerful antioxidants) and foods rich in anti-inflammatory fatty acids like walnuts, flax seed and salmon. You can also take omega-3 fish oil supplements to get a daily dose of important fatty acids.
Dental care. Flossing and brushing each day should always be part of your daily routine, and even if you don’t have dental insurance and can’t afford veneers or some other cosmetic procedure, get your teeth cleaned twice a year. It’s important for oral health…and for preventing halitosis that can render even the most beautiful face intolerable.
Exercise. Working out can be free, but even if you pay for a gym membership, keep going. Regular exercise helps control your weight, boosts your energy and reduces the effects of stress. It also helps fight osteoporosis as you age.
Annual physical. Deal with the co-pay and keep getting your annual checkup with your regular physician. There’s no better way to catch possible health problems early when they’re easy to treat, and to develop a positive, communicative relationship with your doctor and his or her staff. Hint: make sure a skin check is part of your physical.
This stuff is pretty basic, but when you have to tighten your belt and “extras” like Botox, fillers, peels and monthly highlighting treatments are out of the question, the basics are what keep you going. In fact, since too many women focus on the exterior trappings of beauty while going easy on the internal essentials like nutrition and fitness, look at the recession as the time to make sure the foundation of your beauty is strong. Things will get better eventually, and when you have the means to go back to expensive beauty products, who knows…maybe you won’t need them.
