28 Modern Beauty Trends Older Women Hate

Buzz Feed

a day ago

Recently, we asked the older women of the BuzzFeed Community what modern beauty, hair, and skincare trends bother them, and they had a lot to say. Here are current trends that they absolutely can't stand*.
"Why do people wear pimple patches out in public...surely that draws more attention to the fact you have spots?!!"
"Brazilian butt lifts."
"Threads. There are better ways to stimulate collagen that don't involve putting strings in your face. Barbed threads do not work at lifting either, and it is not possible to defy the laws of physics. Source: every surgeon I've ever talked to and myself. I did them in my temples...total disaster."
"Wild fingernails, especially really long ones. I'm all for taking care of nails and have nothing against a good manicure...but seriously, how do you function with full-on talons? I'm just waiting for the day I see two-inch-long nails tipped with googly eyes trying to text, and it sounds like maracas."
"Fake freckles."
"Less invasive and permanent than the others, but I think we're all going to make fun of the 'cold girl' makeup (using blush on the nose)."
"The brushed-up, thick eyebrows. Why do you want to look like a startled werewolf?"
"Lip blushing. It reminds me of the white permanent eyeliner trend."
"Buccal fat removal. It can look cute now, but at almost 40 now, I'm glad I had chubby cheeks for my entire youth."
"Overwhelming hair extensions."
"The pressure to remove all female body hair, except for that around your eyes and on top of your head, has GOT to stop! You do you, but I think that hair is there for a reason. Ridiculous how women are pressured to remove almost all of it!"
Relatedly... "This isn't something I ever speak about, but I can't stand how much time, effort, and money young women put into grooming down below. Can natural be a thing again, please?"
"Veneers. Our skeletons are not perfect, so why do we obsess over having 'perfect' teeth? Just go to the dentist once a year and brush your teeth twice a day. I promise your teeth will be okay."
"Twenty-step skincare routines."
"Ozempic."
"Fake tans. Why do women want to look like orange blow-up dolls? Please! Tone it down a bit and be more subtle and natural."
"I cannot believe we don't post real photos of ourselves anymore. Now, everyone's photos are completely edited by TikTok to change their face or are AI-enhanced. When did we start to feel uncomfortable with our own face?"
"The overuse of highlight and contour makeup. This is already gone/going out of style, but I think people are going to look at it like I used to look at old photos of women with blue eyeshadow."
"Why do women glue big, fuzzy, caterpillar-like eyelashes on their eyelids? It doesn't look natural, let alone good. I think they'll look back at pictures of themselves and think, 'Why did I ever think that was a good idea?'"
"I see a lot of teeny tiny upturned noses in pictures online, so IDK how much of that is just filtering, but I think that looks very odd and will look even stranger when they're older if it's real."
"The trend I find most disturbing is the obsession younger people seem to have with looking like everyone else, to an unhealthy degree. They all have the same fake-looking eyebrows, fake eyelashes, inflated lips, Botox-ed foreheads…it's sad. Perfection is often NOT what makes someone beautiful. What makes someone naturally beautiful can often be a feature that's unusual and different from everyone else. I think all the people trying to look a certain way are actually destroying their own unique looks."
"I always think the 'circle' lip trend of filling in your cupid's bow with lip liner is going to be looked back on weirdly. I can't stand this trend."
"I've never been one to do something just because it's trendy, so I say do what you want. I may silently judge you because I think it looks dumb, but you're not hurting me, so go for it. But this obsession with skincare when you haven't even hit puberty yet needs to stop. You have a baby face; you don't need 25 different products on your face."
And... "Women in their teens and 20s using anti-aging serums. I'm in my 50s and look 10 years younger. My secret? I used sunscreen in my 20s, that's all!"
"Microblading."
"Middle parts. Unless your face is perfectly symmetrical (yours is not, I guarantee you), it will accentuate every single imbalance."
"I'll never understand bleached eyebrows, but go ahead, I guess."
And finally... "Is 'everything' a valid answer? I've worked in the beauty industry for five years, and I hate it. The basics of beauty are a face wash, a treatment if you have an issue that you want fixed, a moisturizer, and SPF. These 10+ step skincare routines are so wasteful and unnecessary. I also cannot stand the people who glorify plastic surgery, fillers/injections, hair and lash extensions, fake tans, long gel/acrylic nails, etc. It's now radical and extremely rare to be authentic. If you're changing everything about yourself, there's obviously a deep issue that needs to be worked on that a needle, some acrylic nails, and extensions won't fix. I work with women who spend their money on products, injections, extensions, and nails, and can't afford insurance, gas, or groceries. It's so absurd to me. I don't like a lot about how I look, but at least it's 100% me."
What modern beauty trends can you not stand? Let us know in the comments or via this anonymous form.
Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.