Social media-savvy beauty content creators are everywhere, and that’s not an exaggeration. The revolution began a little over 10 years ago, back when we still capitalized the I in “internet.” A platform called Blogspot paved the way for bloggers—a new generation of creators who used dreamy photos and short texts to chronicle their personal lives. Their existence felt like an affront to traditional journalists who told their stories with words and excluded themselves from the narrative, which, for the longest time was the only way.
First Came the Blogger
Any traditional beauty editor remembers the day things changed like it was yesterday. At an event, there were two registration tables instead of one, and the room was clearly divided in two. There was an area for bloggers and an area for journalists. Tension filled the air.
“Who are they?” “Why are they here?” “Look at them, they’re not even working.”
Journalists sat in fluorescent-lit offices, doing overtime for peanuts. It was how it was supposed to be: difficult, torturous, shiny on the outside, unglamorous on the inside… The storyteller was supposed to be anonymous. How dare they make it all about them? How dare they write in the first person?
The beauty journalists had every right to be threatened. You could almost forgive them for saying the meanest things—their livelihoods were hanging in the balance. These glossy, impeccably dressed women with poreless skin and perfect makeup had, seemingly, invaded their turf. “Rumor has it, they’re getting paid to attend events, on top of receiving gifts!” “Looking at them checking their goody bags already!” There were so many rumors and so much shade.
Journalists sat in fluorescent-lit offices, doing overtime for peanuts. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It was how it was supposed to be: difficult, torturous, shiny on the outside, unglamorous on the inside. It wasn’t supposed to be about carrying the latest DSLRs and taking a gazillion self-portraits. The storyteller was supposed to be anonymous. How dare they make it all about them? How dare they write in the first person?
Then Came the Influencer
I experienced all these things as a beauty journalist. My editor back then noticed what was happening and specifically instructed me to be in every possible photo at the events I attended. “Always sit on the front row,” she said. “Always say hi to the VIP.” I took these words to heart and they served me well. Going to beauty events wasn’t just about getting the story anymore. It was also about being seen and being perceived as a VIP yourself.
Soon enough, this became the case. Beauty journalists were treated like VIPs, given expensive gifts, and flown to foreign countries. Finally, the beat that everyone thought was all “fluff” was being taken seriously. Suddenly, everyone wanted to cover beauty.
Meanwhile, the bloggers were also gaining popularity with the rise of social media. Many of them have migrated to Instagram, sharing their photos in real time. People no longer needed to log on to a desktop to see these posts. They could just click this little icon on their phones and the posts would come to them in a steady feed. There was also YouTube, which featured long-form makeup tutorials and reviews.
But the new game changer? Follower count. It determined a blogger’s ranking and rates. In particular, it told brands exactly who to collaborate with to promote their products. Follower count determined a person’s influence and back then, only the cream of the crop were called “influencers.”
If you put ‘influencer’ on your Instagram bio, you’d have to be joking. It was such an embarrassing label that it didn’t take long before better ones were coined.
It was a title people embraced reluctantly, probably because it was so self-aggrandizing. Beauty journalists abhorred it with a passion and, for a time, reacted violently whenever anyone would call them such. If you put “influencer” on your Instagram bio, you’d have to be joking. It was such an embarrassing label that it didn’t take long before better ones were coined.
KOL seemed to be the more acceptable term. “Key Opinion Leader” sounded legit. It described somebody who was respected in their field and contributed to society. Even beauty journalists accepted the label for themselves, probably because it didn’t seem as frivolous. Still, it didn’t ease any worries of being replaced and rendered obsolete. After all, the lines were so blurred, that even influencers were categorized as “media” at events.
It started to seem as if beauty journalists were now the token guests, kept on the list out of tradition and friendship rather than for their usefulness. This didn’t seem like a bad deal. After all, many journalist-brand relationships are founded on real connections. Back in the day, being at an event was like being in a foxhole together. While both the media and hosts genuinely enjoyed each other’s company and, more importantly, performed their jobs really well, we’d much rather be somewhere else—this sense of obligation was our common ground and source of comedic relief.
Then Came TikTok and the Content Creator
As the years passed, more horror stories about entitled and abusive “influencers” surfaced. There was the mom-fluencer who sneered at the 100 USD per diem offered to them during a trip. There was the YouTuber who created a video comparing the contents of her press gift bag with another influencer’s. And then, of course, there were plenty who demanded gifts and sponsorships in exchange for the honor of being on their feeds.
It had also become so easy to inflate one’s follower count and likes (and now you can even pay for a blue check) that anybody can claim to be somebody. The market had become wary of influencers asking for free products, free hotel staycations, free food, and free trips. The label no longer had the same level of weight and prestige. It was a shame and even beauty journalists who once saw them as threats agreed.
While these all may sound like a ridiculous waste of time to an old-school nine-to-fiver, it’s a legitimate and accepted career for those who embrace it. Their new job description says it all: beauty content creator.
Ask any beauty journalist or editor and they will tell you that they have seen first-hand how hard the “real ones” in the influencer field worked. They would sacrifice what short lunchtime they had to get the perfect shot of their makeup and go to great lengths to secure collaborations with brands. They would spend hours preparing and shooting a three-minute reel for IG or video for TikTok. They would protect their credibility the same way a journalist would, making sure every deal was above board and accounted for.
While these all may sound like a ridiculous waste of time to an old-school nine-to-fiver, it’s a legitimate and accepted career for those who embrace it. Their new job description says it all: beauty content creator. It describes exactly what they do, minus the presumption of influence and power. They’re just people who make beauty content—photos, videos, blogs, stories—for digital platforms. You don’t have to be famous to be one and you don’t necessarily become famous if you are one. It’s just work.
You Can Sit With Us
This democratization of content creation leveled the playing—for everyone. Once outcasts in the company of OG beauty journalists, influencers and creators can now play in the same pond. In fact, a lot of more of them are invited to events simply because there’s more of them now on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Meanwhile, exposure and the mere passage of time have prompted the “old-school” media players to up their game and claim their slice of the digital pie. They survived the rise of SEO, adopted the frowned-upon yet necessary culture of self-promotion, and, at some point, created their very first TikTok.
The truth is, many traditional journalists would still say that the influencer life is not for them, but not for lack of trying. While there are those who have completely crossed over and are now enjoying their own content creation renaissance, many are happy to just be writing and that’s okay, too. Traditional journalists are keeping up with trends. Content creators are working hard to bring credibility to their names. That’s all anyone could ask for.
The beauty industry could benefit so much from inclusivity and it’s only fitting that this starts with the people who report on it. At the end of the day, our obsolescence is hinged on our ability to adapt. Accepting each other as colleagues in beauty was the first step. The next is using whatever influence we have for good.
