IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/sagope/v10y2020i2p2158244020933591.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Paint a Better Mood? Effects of Makeup Use on YouTube Beauty Influencers’ Self-Esteem

Author

Listed:
  • Alison Tran
  • Robert Rosales
  • Lynn Copes

Abstract

Although 90% of women between the ages of 18 and 29 report using makeup, research on the motivation and effects of makeup use on self-esteem is lacking. The purposes of this qualitative study is to (1) understand the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to use makeup on self-esteem, (2) explore whether makeup use may serve as a buffer for low self-esteem, and (3) explore the impact of sociocultural scripts and hegemonic beauty on self-esteem in ethnoracially diverse YouTube beauty influencers. Jacobsen’s Aesthetics of Psychology framework was used to classify narratives of nine female beauty influencers aged between 21 and 40 years from the United States and Great Britain, who self-identified as Black, Hispanic, and White. Makeup use may have a more direct effect on self-esteem if internally motivated and viewed as a mechanism for creativity, mastery, agency, and human connection. Likewise, makeup use may indirectly buffer low mood/self-esteem for those who are externally motivated to use makeup in order to avoid guilt, enhance ego, and promote audience confidence. Results elucidate the importance of motivation to use makeup and its implications for positive mood regulation/enhanced self-esteem through the development of mental health interventions involving makeup application. Findings illuminate the experiences of women in media and public domains and are particularly salient for women of color who may be more extrinsically motivated to use makeup due to hegemonic beauty standards, as Black beauty influencers reported industry disparities in pay/salary, sponsorships, and subscriber count compared with young, White influencers.

Suggested Citation

  • Alison Tran & Robert Rosales & Lynn Copes, 2020. "Paint a Better Mood? Effects of Makeup Use on YouTube Beauty Influencers’ Self-Esteem," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(2), pages 21582440209, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:10:y:2020:i:2:p:2158244020933591
    DOI: 10.1177/2158244020933591
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244020933591
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/2158244020933591?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alex L Jones & Robin S S Kramer, 2016. "Facial Cosmetics and Attractiveness: Comparing the Effect Sizes of Professionally-Applied Cosmetics and Identity," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(10), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Truong, Yann & McColl, Rod, 2011. "Intrinsic motivations, self-esteem, and luxury goods consumption," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 555-561.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Omer Gokcekus & Yui Suzuki, 2014. "Is there a Corruption-effect on Conspicuous Consumption?," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 8(3), pages 215-235, August.
    2. Yoo, Jungmin & Park, Minjung, 2016. "The effects of e-mass customization on consumer perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty toward luxury brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5775-5784.
    3. Kum Fai Yuen & Do Thi Khanh Huyen & Xueqin Wang & Guanqiu Qi, 2020. "Factors Influencing the Adoption of Shared Autonomous Vehicles," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-17, July.
    4. Alev Kocak Alan & Inci Dursun & Ebru Tumer Kabadayi & Kenan Aydin & Fikret Anlagan, 2016. "What Influences the Repurchase Intention for Luxury Brands?-The Relative Impacts of Luxury Value Dimensions," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(5), pages 11-24, May.
    5. Friedrichsen, Jana, 2018. "Signals Sell: Product Lines when Consumers Differ Both in Taste for Quality and Image Concern," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 70, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    6. Janssen, Catherine & Vanhamme, Joëlle & Leblanc, Sina, 2017. "Should luxury brands say it out loud? Brand conspicuousness and consumer perceptions of responsible luxury," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 167-174.
    7. Kim, Sanghee & Chang, Hyo Jung (Julie), 2023. "Mechanism of retail therapy during stressful life events: The psychological compensation of revenge consumption toward luxury brands," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    8. Póvoa, Angela Cristiane Santos & Pech, Wesley & Viacava, Juan José Camou & Schwartz, Marcos Tadeu, 2020. "Is the beauty premium accessible to all? An experimental analysis," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    9. Robert Rybnicek & Sabine Bergner & Alfred Gutschelhofer, 2019. "How individual needs influence motivation effects: a neuroscientific study on McClelland’s need theory," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 443-482, April.
    10. Rahimah, Anni & Khalil, Shadab & Dang, Huu Phuc & Ming-Sung Cheng, Julian, 2020. "The terror of death and consumers’ sustainability attitudes," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    11. Shahid, Shadma & Paul, Justin, 2021. "Intrinsic motivation of luxury consumers in an emerging market," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    12. Theresa Obuobisa-Darko & Emelia Amoako Asiedu & Frank Ohemeng & Kenneth Parku, 2024. "Managing Employee Engagement in Crisis Situations in Developing Countries: The Case for Responsible Leadership in the Public Sector in Ghana," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 803-821, September.
    13. Tan, Yuxuan & Gong, Yanping & Xie, Julan & Li, Jian & Liu, Yongdan, 2022. "More mindfulness, less conspicuous consumption? Evidence from middle-aged Chinese consumers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    14. Carlota Batres & Sarah S Kramer & Caroline G DeAngelis & Richard Russell, 2019. "Examining the ‘cosmetics placebo effect’," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, January.
    15. Shao, Wei & Grace, Debra & Ross, Mitchell, 2019. "Investigating brand visibility in luxury consumption," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 357-370.
    16. Tandon, Anushree & Kaur, Puneet & Bhatt, Yogesh & Mäntymäki, Matti & Dhir, Amandeep, 2021. "Why do people purchase from food delivery apps? A consumer value perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    17. Lin, Rui & Wang, Peggy, 2022. "Intention to perform eco-driving and acceptance of eco-driving system," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 444-459.
    18. Nornajihah Nadia Hasbullah & Zuraidah Sulaiman & Adaviah Mas’od & Hanis Syuhada Ahmad Sugiran, 2022. "Drivers of Sustainable Apparel Purchase Intention: An Empirical Study of Malaysian Millennial Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, February.
    19. Nur Muneerah Kasim & Muhammad Ashraf Fauzi & Walton Wider & Muhammad Fakhrul Yusuf, 2022. "Understanding Social Media Usage at Work from the Perspective of Social Capital Theory," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, November.
    20. de Lassus, Christel & Anido Freire, N., 2014. "Access to the luxury brand myth in pop-up stores: A netnographic and semiotic analysis," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 61-68.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:10:y:2020:i:2:p:2158244020933591. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.