How the Beauty Industry Turned Skin Cleaning into the Olympics
A surprisingly large group of people on social media are trying to compete to see who is "cleaner". What is this about?
TL;DR
- Social media platforms host a 'Hygiene Olympics' where users compete to appear 'cleaner' than others.
- The competition involves increasingly absurd rules and public shaming, turning everyday habits into a performance.
- This trend is driven by performative cleanliness, a desire for moral superiority, and the beauty industry's promotion of excessive products.
- The 'Hygiene Olympics' taps into historical cultural contexts of hygiene, gender expectations, and racial stereotypes.
- The beauty industry profits from the myth that female bodies and intimate areas are inherently 'dirty,' requiring numerous products.
- Medical professionals state that over-cleaning can be harmful and recommend simpler, less frequent hygiene practices.
- The trend has significant economic impact, with a notable increase in body care product sales.
- The core of the 'Hygiene Olympics' is not about actual hygiene but about demonstrating a perceived 'better' way of doing things online.