Why Transparency in Beauty and Fashion Matters - and I'm saying what most won't.
Why saying 'This was gifted' matters more than ever.
Do you ever scroll past a (creators) post and think…Wow, she’s casually carrying a $15,000 bag like it’s nothing? You probably even save it to your wishlist, because if she can buy it, surely you can work toward that too…right?
Except, here’s the thing…she didn’t buy it. It was gifted, and she didn’t tell you.
This happens a lot more than you know, especially in beauty and fashion. PR gifting has reached a whole new level. We’re not just talking lipsticks or event invites. We’re talking luxury bags, Cartier love rings, designer shoes sent directly to influencers and creators with a little note that reads: ‘No obligation to post.’ But of course you’re going to post. If you want the next bag…then you’ll post.
The problem isn’t that people are getting gifted expensive things. The problem is that they’re not disclosing it. And when you don’t disclose it, you create this fake little fantasy where people watching assume you bought it with your own money…and you know they think that. Which in turn sets the tone of ‘I should be able to afford that too.’ And when you can’t, you start questioning yourself, not realizing you were being sold a lifestyle that wasn’t even real to begin with.
I’m going to be real with you. Creators that don’t disclose that they were gifted something expensive, majority of the time, want their audience to think they can afford it. I know of many creators who have bags, shoes, clothes etc that are crazy expensive but won’t be honest online about how they recieved them. They love the fact it looks like they bought it. The sad part is, they are making people think it’s normal. When it actually isn’t.
Transparency is a responsibility. And I get it….some people are scared that if they admit something was gifted, they’ll look like they didn’t earn it or that they’re less aspirational. But I think the opposite is true. If you’re honest about what’s gifted, what you saved for, and what you’d actually spend your own money on, that builds trust. And trust is what makes people stick around.
I’ll always tell you if something was gifted. Not because I feel guilty, but because you deserve to know the difference between what’s free and what I’d genuinely buy again. Because let’s be real…being aspirational doesn’t mean being dishonest. And I’ll take an honest influence over fake wealth vibes any day.
p.s. If you see someone online casually flexing their fifth designer bag in a month, just know there’s a PR office somewhere laughing.
As always, Nina, thank you for being a real person! Our cultural values are being distorted by so much deception which is screwing up the values of our young people, changing their aspirations to unachievable material things instead of enduring positive values & simultaneously making them feel they are somehow not good enough! It’s all superficial, all for show, and really leads to mental illness. Transparency & honesty is imperative if we want our kids to aspire to having true values & aspirations for fulfillment. Young people tend to compare themselves to their peers & from the fraud, they derive that “if I can’t get the same, there’s something wrong with me. That leads to depression or to resorting to drastic behavior to obtain the unattainable (I.e. prostitution or other illegal means). Thank you for posting this so mothers can explain to their daughters that these expensive items were gifted as propaganda & not bought by these young people on their own!
I greatly appreciated this article you wrote as I’m all about transparency! Being open, honest, and trustworthy is how I am and I expect and appreciate that from others. But not even realizing that this what other creators/influencers are most likely doing gives me discomfort yet also makes me feel a slight PHEW come out of my mouth! I don’t need to be able to afford what others are “selling” us and that’s okay. I’d rather earn it anyways. Thank you for opening my eyes to this and now I get a little relief after reading everything they all want us to buy and have for just the fall season!