Green beauty: Going 'green' with personal care products in 21st century American culture

Green Beauty: Going Green with Personal Care Products in 21 st Century American Culture employs a critical analysis of the discourse and imagery employed in the marketing of personal care products, drawing on the theoretical approaches of feminism, ecofeminism and cultural studies. Employing an interdisciplinary approach to the topic of green beauty and personal care products, this project emphasizes the interconnectedness of the issues and practices that concern feminism and environmentalism. It examines how the marketing of "green" products employs a discourse that suggests an inherent connection between women and nature at the same time that cultural standards of beauty position the natural process of aging as a primary problem in women's lives and the top beauty challenge facing women. This project provides an overview of the green beauty trend and the relative lack of regulation of the ingredients in personal care products; then, it focuses on an analysis of the terms and imagery employed in the marketing of green beauty products from six companies catering to American consumers. By adopting a green feminist approach, this project seeks to highlight how feminist and environmentalist concerns are both intertwined and in conflict within the contemporary discursive space of a American culture, where the trend of "going green" has become a central message employed in the marketing of a multitude of industries and products. Green beauty presents a unique discursive moment in our cultural history, where there is an acute level of connection between cultural beauty standards, perceptions of the natural, women's status in society, the regulation of toxic chemicals in a global environment, and the role of commodities and capitalism in environmental practices and policies. The author examines the relationship between the alignment of women and nature, the reinforcement of hegemonic beauty ideals, and a large spectrum of relative shades of greenness in the modes of manufacturing, producing and disposing of personal care products. A green feminist analysis of the images and discourse from green beauty marketing highlights a problematic relationship between, women and nature, aging and beauty, naturalness and unnaturalness, and the agendas of green beauty, feminism and environmentalism.