High-Maintenance to Look Low-Maintenance: The Scam of “Natural” Beauty

Let’s go ahead and say it out loud: the natural beauty aesthetic is one of the most high-maintenance, effort-heavy scams ever sold to women. And yes, we bought it—some of us are still making monthly payments.

Social media loves to glorify that “I just woke up like this” look. Dewy skin, faint freckles, soft lashes, hydrated lips, fluffy brows, a little glow... effortless, right?

Wrong.

There’s nothing effortless about looking “naturally beautiful” by today’s standards. This modern version of natural beauty? It’s curated, calculated, and very, very expensive.

Real Natural Beauty Was Never This Complicated

When I think of real natural beauty, I think of my mother. My aunties. My grandmothers. Women who came up in the early 1900s and beyond, whose routines were rooted in common sense, clean eating, and knowing better than to inject poison into their skin. They weren’t booking “baby Botox” or smearing on $200 creams to keep up. They had cocoa butter, fresh food, and a deep relationship with self-preservation.

They didn’t need a Pinterest routine with 12 steps and three add-ons just to glow. They lived it.

Let’s Talk About What It Really Takes

Now, I love my skin. I do. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed some changes—discoloration, dullness here and there—and I want to maintain my skin’s texture, radiance, and tone. Which means I gotta work. Not chase perfection, but keep my natural beauty intact.

So, here’s the truth: even the simple routines take effort.

• Wash your face

• Use a toner or essence

• Maybe a serum

• Moisturize

• Apply SPF

• Eat right

• Stay hydrated

• Avoid smoking

• Avoid drinking

• Get rest

• Oh—and don’t forget to smile through your stress while balancing work, life, and skincare.

That’s work. Period.

And then you’ve got women doing all that, plus lasers, dermaplaning, teeth whitening, hairline sculpting, lash lifts, brow shaping, fake freckles, blush tattoos, and a tight gym schedule just to say they’re “low maintenance.”

The math ain’t mathin’.

Influencers Be Lying (Let’s Be Honest)

Now some influencers are real about their routines, and shoutout to them for being transparent. But the vast majority? Only show the glow, not the grind. You see the filtered “after,” not the chemical peel burns, the recovery downtime, or the money poured into it.

The lie is layered. And it’s not just about skincare and makeup—this illusion of natural beauty is now a whole damn industry. And it’s toxic.

Injectables ≠ Natural

Let’s get this one straight: injecting chemicals into your skin is the exact opposite of natural. I don’t care how subtle it is, how good the injector is, or how common it’s become. You are literally putting more foreign substances into your body—on top of the environmental toxins you’re already breathing in every day.

We live on planet Earth in 2025. The air is trying to kill us. The food is suspect. And now you want to pump silicone, neurotoxins, and cross-linked gels into your muscle tissue for a “barely there” look?

Girl, what?

I’ve seen women drop hundreds—sometimes thousands—of dollars chasing a version of “natural” that looks nothing like real life. And honestly? It’s wild.

The Generational Gap No One Talks About

Women in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s—even the ’80s—understood what natural beauty meant. There was elegance in it. Strength. Pride. But today’s beauty standard? It’s separating generations.

Younger women often look down on the beauty routines of women before them, instead of learning from them. Instead of honoring their grace, we erase them from the conversation altogether.

It’s sad, honestly. The women of today are racing to look like someone they’ve never been, while the women of yesterday had the wisdom to love what they already were.

Final Thoughts: Do You, But Stop Acting Like It’s Easy

If you want to do the high-maintenance “natural” thing—do it. But stop pretending it’s effortless. Stop lying to women about what it takes. Stop shaming women who choose to age, to eat bread, or to walk around without concealer. And for the love of all things moisturized, stop calling injectables and chemical peels “natural.”

Natural beauty might not be trendy anymore—but trust me, it still slaps.