I’m often asked, “why in the world do you write a blog on beauty?” I get it. I don’t exactly work for the beauty biz nor am I some kind of model or beauty vlogger. But I quickly explain that, first, I don’t write about beauty trends, but rather the role of beauty in our culture. And, second, when it comes to beauty, there is ALWAYS enough fodder to write about. I always have material to inspire me. And I’m not just referring to the latest intro of eyelash curlers. I’m also talking serious, geopolitical stuff.
The most recent example that landed in my feed is the highly controversial story about Garnier (parent brand is L’Oreal) sending beauty care packages to female Israeli soldiers. Many anti-Israel folks jumped at the opportunity to slam L’Oreal. And then when Garnier USA claimed a lack of knowledge around the whole initiative and essentially distanced itself from the project, Israel supporters slammed L’Oreal!
While to some sending beauty products to soldiers may seem frivolous at best and certainly politically risky, I think the gesture was pretty cool. It points the spotlight on a little-known group of soldiers who fight every day — female ones. Long before the U.S. had such a strong female base in its military, Israel enforced almost all women to serve. And women serve to this day. While we may not seem them in the battle photos, they are out there busting their butts. They deserve some recognition, just as I think all female soldiers deserve recognition no matter what country they fight for.
While I’ve never served in combat, I’m not sure how much I would care about how I smell or look during a pretty intense war. And yet, as we all know, things of beauty and feeling just a little bit more beautiful can give us the comfort, strength or will to carry on.
In the end, beauty may not seem be important when it comes to politics, warfare, or harsh times. Of course so many other critical concerns outweigh it. And yet the trigger it can give the spirit can be super powerful.