In the last few years, we have witnessed the changing face of influencer marketing—the number of dads that pop up on my TikTok “For You” page doing magic tricks, sharing funny stories about their kids, or performing their own “Outfit Of The Day” routines is vast. While these dads are not necessarily beauty influencers, they are setting the precedent that if you’re confident and passionate, you can motivate and inspire. When it comes to the faces and bodies of the beauty industry, everything and everyone is beautiful; and while influencers are the ones pushing the business in this direction, brands are beginning to listen and follow suit.

The changing face of influencer marketing is embracing all kinds of beauty!

Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash

Expanding the Range

In 2019, a company was called out by multiple influencers for their lack of representation in shade range. While this foundation release is what pushed influencers to speak up, many beauty companies were guilty of favoring lighter shades. This sent many brands into a necessary spiral to figure out how to broaden their shade range and create more diverse tones, specifically with darker shades, to ensure everyone is covered. Since then, multiple makeup brands have taken note and made a noticeable difference, and Black-owned brands have seen an uptick in business and exposure. 

Beautifully Body Positive

With the changing face of influencer marketing that began a few years ago, other forms of inclusivity have come into the spotlight. The real human body, in whatever form, has become a hot topic of conversation, and body positivity is trending. Stretch marks, cellulite, and feeling confident in your size and shape are just some of the areas in which people with an audience are confidently showing off their real bodies. Influencers protesting against limited size options and unrealistic model standards is changing the way the modeling industry works, especially when it comes to clothing brands. They are not only expanding their size range, but also who is in their digital ads and social media, on their billboards, and in their magazines.

@lizzoWATCH OUT FOR THE EMMY WINNING BIG GRRRLS 😝🏆🏆♬ Hit chu wit da blick – solvvrr broke again

Love the Skin You’re In

Similar to weight, skin has been a place of insecurity for many people. For so long the mentality was if your skin isn’t as clear as the sky on a perfect summer day, then you’re doing something wrong. In reality, no one is going to always have unmarked skin that glows. Sure, there are products you can use to better your skin’s health, but hormones and genetics are always going to take over. By influencers taking freckles and making them the new makeup must-have, exposing their acne and wearing pimple patches as an accessory, and saying goodbye to Botox and hello to natural smile-lines, they’re rewriting the beauty narrative: You don’t need to change for the beauty industry, the beauty industry needs to change for you!

@kali.ledger main tip: not just in the usual places + clusters #frecklemaker #nablacosmetics #fauxfreckles #makeuptutorial ♬ original sound – KALI

Insecurity is inevitable, especially when everything that appears on your screen is unrealistic. However, strict beauty standards are finally becoming a thing of the past and self-love, pride, and enthusiasm are coming to the forefront. There is still much work to be done, but with the positive mindset and rawness of influencers and brands listening and broadening their representation, we could see a serious change in the mental wellbeing of future generations as well as within our own.

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