The Truth About Glow Up Culture

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The Hollywood trope we know all too well: The nerdy, awkward female protagonist removes her glasses, loosens her hair from that messy bun, throws on a dress, and suddenly the hottest boy in school falls madly in love with her and they live happily ever after…Does this sound familiar to you? The concept of “glowing up” is not foreign to us (“us” being Gen Z). It has existed for a substantial amount of time and continues to grow, especially with the rise of social media platforms. Regardless of whether you have Tiktok or not, you’re bound to have scrolled across a few of the countless transformation challenges and trends. Urban Dictionary defines ‘glow-up’ as: “to go from the bottom to the top to the point of disbelief. An incredible transformation.

Social media and celebrities are the main contributors to the pressure teens feel to ‘glow up’ in today’s society. For example, celebrities who have had plastic surgery work done on their bodies often don’t open up about it. This has an impact on their younger followers, who see their transformation and feel the need to improve their physical appearance, too. They are unaware that this is unattainable without the use of plastic surgery.

It’s not just plastic surgery: celebrities and influencers may have dietitians, personal trainers, stylists, and dermatologists whom we don’t hear about - things that the average teenager cannot afford. How can you expect yourself to transform the way these celebrities do? Many of the extreme transformations seen in the media are not possible for the average person, thus, unrealistic beauty standards are high and self-esteem is low.

On the flip side, watching these transformations or comparing an individual’s ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs can also be extremely motivating to viewers. Viewers may be encouraged to start taking better care of their physical and mental health or work toward their goals. This ‘glow up’ content is oddly entertaining at times, too! It just needs to be consumed with a pinch of salt.

The truth is: the value that society places on physical appearance has increased over the years and social media has been a huge accelerator of this. Jenna Ryklief