Coping With Looking "Natural"

What does it mean to cope with a beauty standard that pretends not to be a beauty standard at all?

This week, we’re talking about looking “natural” – which, in 2026 apparently means botox in your 20s, three‑hour self-care routines, and a level of upkeep that would make even a Victorian lady‑in‑waiting tap out. 

Alice Griffin and Jannah Anderson explore how “aesthetic inflation”, a concept first articulated by writer Jessica DeFino, has shifted the baseline so dramatically that simply existing feels like falling behind. We unpack the psychological toll of chasing an ever-changing beauty ideal marketed as effortless, and ask whether celeb transparency around cosmetic work is actually all that liberating…  

And because the wellness zeitgeist never sleeps we’re also talking: oral dissolvable strip supplements (a no from us) and the new Korean lash lift that is (frankly) blindingly good.

"Appearance Inflation: 3 Beauty Writers Sum Up 2025", CNN

“Wait, Why Do I Want A Facelift?'" by Jessica DeFino

The Year All My Friends Got Botox by Emmeline Clein, The Cut

Listen: Botox, Fillers and Aesthetic Inflation, NPR It's Been a Minute podcast

The New Plastic Surgery Playbook  by Rheana Murray, The Atlantic

The Forever-35 Face by Bridget Read, The Cut

Beauty Standards Make Me Ashamed Of My Features, And AI Makes It Worse by Humeara Mohamed, Refinery29

Nothing Looks Beautiful Anymore - And We Did This to Ourselves by Melissa Fleur Afshar, Newsweek

Listen: The Butt Blush Boom, Mess World podcast

Would You Use Cadaver Fat Injections? by Jessica DeFino, The Guardian

"Will Being 'Ugly' Be Aspirational One Day?" by Kish Lal, Dazed

Watch: How Much Are Australians Spending on Cosmetic Procedures?, SBS Insight

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