54 Behind the Glam: Understanding the Mental Health Dynamics in Rare Beauty’s Audience

Makeup brands have been a huge sell out recently with many influencers becoming more popular and social media platforms trending widely. More influencers are becoming well liked with a variety of viewers focusing on their everyday vlogs and makeup routines, specifically on Tiktok and Instagram. With that being said, makeup brands have been sending public relations (PR) packages to social media influencers to create more direction towards their makeup brand in hopes of more revenue and focus to their brand.

A very popular makeup line is Selena Gomezs’ Rare Beauty collection. Selena Gomez is known for her singer/songwriter and acting career. She is a well known celebrity all over the world and right off the bat she already had a huge audience for her makeup line. Gomez launched this makeup brand in 2020 with her mission statement being, “We are on a mission to help everyone celebrate their individuality by redefining what beautiful means. We want to promote self-acceptance and give people the tools they need to feel less alone in the world” (Gomez, S. 2020).

Gomez has a huge fan base all over the world, her audience looks up to her for what she does for mental health awareness and who she is as a person. Gomez launched this cosmetics brand to allow individuals to be who they are, not who they wish to be. She advocates for individuals to accept who they are, to be at ease in their own skin, and to cease comparing themselves to other people. Gomez is a longtime advocate for mental health, she has consistently shared her personal struggles with the public. Her beauty company is working with a nonprofit that advances mental health initiatives, in line with her dedication to mental well-being.. This partnership reflects Gomez’s ongoing efforts to promote and support mental health awareness.

Gomez is devoted to leveraging her influence to support causes she believes in, providing her fans with the opportunity to contribute to meaningful initiatives. Her dedicated audience not only applauds her efforts but also, particularly those following her mental health journey, expresses heightened support and appreciation for her advocacy work.
Unveiling the Interplay Between Rare Beauty Enthusiasm and Mental Health Perceptions in a Diverse Audience Landscape

Gomez’s audience wholeheartedly supports her extensive efforts in the realm of mental health. Given Gomez’s own substantial background in mental health struggles, her advocacy carries a powerful message where she strives to prevent others from experiencing similar challenges and encourages them to seek help if needed.

Gomez shared her story through a documentary called My Mind and Me and her audience couldn’t be more appreciated. This documentary explores Gomez’s struggles with her physical and mental health after being diagnosed with bipolar illness and lupus throughout a six-year period in her career. The documentary offers a thorough examination of the effects these medical conditions had on her wellbeing at this time. This documentary touched so many fans of her music career, makeup line and her support from her mental health advocacy. One fan tweeted “Your story has brought me to tears, I love you infinitely. I’ve been so deeply touched and overwhelmed by your raw feelings. It makes me feel so loved and cared for. It’s been a very tough year for me, and just watching your documentary makes me feel seen and not lonely. Thank you.” (Mess. K. @katemessdiary, 2022).

In an article focused on the overwhelming affection her fans have for the brand, Selena Gomez highlights the frequent personal encounters she has with her supporters. She notes that the majority of these interactions consistently revolve around a particular topic, indicating a common theme in her discussions with fans, “A lot of people talk about how awesome it is that we’ve tried to make an inclusive brand. Truly for everyone.” (Gomez, S. 2023). While still producing her makeup line, she never forgets where it all came from and how it started.

Gomez intertwines her mental health advocacy into her makeup line Rare Beauty, she says, “And on top of it, obviously, the Mental Health Impact Fund with Rare has been so important and that to me is also body, mind and soul. Makeup is meant for fun but you don’t have to be a certain way” (Gomez, S. 2023). Rare Beauty’s website has a mental health page where it shows the Rare Beauty social impact report for the years 2021 and 2022. After the report for 2022 came out Gomez tweeted, “I’m proud to share, the @RareBeauty Social Impact Report 2022 is live! I’m so grateful to all of you who are on this journey with us. The need for mental health education and resources for young people has never been more needed and we could not do this meaningful work without all of you. Thank you” (Gomez, S. Twitter. 2023).

Support for Selena Gomez’s mental health activism comes from her fan base, as seen by their passionate participation and encouraging comments on social media. Supporters frequently thank her for being transparent about her issues with mental health, share personal stories, and commend her attempts to combat stigma. Using hashtags related to her advocacy work, they actively participate in discussions about mental health and build virtual communities that spread the word about wellbeing and self-acceptance. The audience’s affirmation of their commitment to supporting Gomez’s efforts and adding to the continuing conversation about mental wellness is seen by the positive comments, likes, and shares on her posts about mental health. Gomez’s audience hears the wind of this and non-stop raves about her makeup brand and the message behind it. Fans commented underneath the tweet, “Education and resources for young people’s mental health are so crucial” (@haitran669, Twitter. 2023) and “You and the Rare Beauty team do such incredible work, and I am so grateful for your support surrounding mental health. Thank you so much for your work, it truly means a lot” (@GOMEZPlNK, Twitter. 2023).

Selena Gomez has faced lifelong challenges with mental health, grappling with confidence and a sense of authenticity from childhood into adulthood. Her relatable struggles make her highly admired by her audience, who find her openness and honesty about her own experiences comforting. In contrast to other celebrities often perceived as embodying unrealistic beauty standards, Gomez strives to foster a connection with individuals who struggle, emphasizing the importance of confidence and self-acceptance. She aims to create a supportive environment, ensuring her audience doesn’t feel alone in their personal struggles.

Regarding the audience’s positive response to Rare Beauty’s inclusive makeup line that promotes a sense of confidence, Gomez’s company is set to release a body care collection named “Find Comfort Body Collection” on December 26, 2023. Fans are expressing their enthusiasm and appreciation under Gomez’s tweets, emphasizing how accepted and delighted they feel about her commitment to inclusivity within the Rare Beauty brand. Comments underneath the tweet announcing the launch of this new body care collection include sentiments like, “When you think rare beauty can’t make you feel more comfortable in your own skin, happier and brighter with your natural beauty, they drop the best of the best” (@swiftietwins13. Twitter, 2023).

Selena Gomez’s support of mental health is deeply entwined with her beauty company, Rare Beauty. Rare Beauty transcends traditional beauty standards, rooted in Gomez’s own experiences with mental health difficulties. Gomez uses it as a platform to advocate for mental health, self-acceptance, and confidence. With an emphasis on diversity, the company wants everyone to feel good about themselves and attractive in their own skin. Gomez continues her aim to challenge social norms through Rare Beauty, promoting self-love and honesty in order to positively influence her audience’s mental health.

Selena Gomez and Participatory Culture: Fostering Connection, Engagement, and Shared Narratives Among Fans and Audience

Selena Gomez currently has one of the most active worldwide fan bases. As a high-profile celebrity, she has developed a passionate fan following that actively supports her company, advocates for mental health, and embraces her lifestyle in general. According to this viewpoint, participation requires more than just being involved; it also means adopting into a common practice and culture. This demonstrates that Gomez’s goal goes beyond followers merely buying her product releases; it also entails encouraging an awareness of the motivations behind her acts and giving her audience a genuine connection to the heart of her brand.

Seeing as Gomez came out with the first brand that was involved in a mental health community, other brands followed where a brand that produced makeup liners came out with the Kind Words Matter Lipliner product that followed in the footsteps of what Gomez was producing. Gomez’s audience involves and interacts with celebrities and beauty firms that are dedicated to advancing mental health advocacy after Gomez started this project. These well-known supporters help Gomez achieve her goals by increasing awareness and engagement, which makes it easier for a larger audience to relate to and identify with her cause. Increased celebrity involvement in the mental health aspects of makeup brands leads to greater audience participation in product creation, purchases, and the raising of awareness on relevant issues.

Rare Beauty is actively involved in many communities, other brands, and campaigns, some involving Rare Impact Fund, Rare Impact Ambassador Program, White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum, and the We All Have Baggage campaign. The We All Have Baggage campaign was a huge hit over digital media, “One hundred fifty community members joined in person and 50,000 Gen-z fans worldwide connected on TikTok to express their gratitude to the brand” (Eve, H. 2023). This active audience greatly participated with the company’s campaign with great support from different areas, specifically on TikTok, where fans commented “You saved my life” and “Rare Beauty has made me feel like I am not alone and I have community” (Eve, H. 2023). Gomez appreciates her fans more than just people who purchase her new products; she also wants people to be aware of the reasons behind her actions and have a real connection to her brand.

Rare Beauty has received recognition for its profound commitment to social impact, earning the Partnerships of the Year award from Mental Health First Aid. The brand’s dedication is evident through employee training, educational campaigns, and the distinction of being the first beauty brand acknowledged by the organization. The establishment of the Mental Health Council and collaborative efforts with non-profit organizations further solidify Rare Beauty as a trusted resource for mental health support (Eve, H. 2023). Fans tweeted their excitement for Rare Beauty as they earned the Partnership of the Year award from Mental Health First Aid.

Under the cosmetics line, their audience joins in this culture by utilizing a range of hashtags associated with mental health. Some examples of these hashtags include, #WorldMentalHealthDay, and #MakeARareImpact; “Mental health has played an enormous role in my life since I was little, & I want to thank @selenagomez, @rarebeauty, & @sephora for spreading awareness, and anyone who donated this #WorldMentalHealthDay” (@mygomezera. Twitter, 2023). “Today I was able to #MakeARareImpact and I couldn’t be happier. On World Mental Health Day I was able to follow a workshop about suicideprevention and contribute to the Rare Impact Fund. Thank you @Sephora @rarebeauty & @selenagomez to make this happen” (@EllieIsRare. Twitter, 2023). Gomez has built up a devoted fan base that actively promotes mental health awareness and her business to their full potential. Engaging in this community not only deepens the loyalty of Selena Gomez’s fans to her makeup line but also facilitates the dissemination of this involvement in mental health. This contributes to Gomez’s overarching goal, aligning with her goals since the beginning of this initiative.

Examining Academic Views on Mental Health Initiatives in the Context of Makeup Brands

The examination of mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals a significant increase in these issues. An article written by Miya L. Barnett, et. al. talks about how in the United States, over half of children who fit the criteria for a mental health issue do not get the necessary therapy they need. “Mental health disparities have been exacerbated by COVID-19 as racial and ethnic minority communities were more likely to experience infection, loss of a loved one, discrimination, unemployment, and poverty during the pandemic due to structural inequities” (Barnett, M. et. al. 2021).

Gomez and her team came up with a proposal to launch this beauty line during the pandemic, relating it to mental health concerns and centering their business entirely on helping people feel better about themselves and concentrating on more positive results in hopes of getting the recognition of mental health out there. One of the first posts on Rare Beauty’s Instagram page recited their mission towards this line, “Our mission is to shape conversations around beauty, self-acceptance, and mental health. We want to help people get more access to support and services, and help people feel more authentically connected to one another and less alone in the world” (@rarebeauty. Instagram, 2020). Fans quickly jumped on board with supporting comments flooding her Instagram post, “I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this world… Moreover since @selenagomez has revealed her @rarebeauty make up.. I feel like I can be beautiful with and without makeup and that’s something I didn’t realize before that so I’m proud to be self-confident and proud of my idol” (@marjorie_bsd. Instagram, 2020). With regards to the COVID-19 pandemic and people feeling not like themselves, this gave people hope with the chance to feel good again.

A study was examined in an article, written by A. Kholmogorova, P. Tarhanova, and O. Shalygina, where they looked at the negative impacts on young people’s mental health that result from the promotion of unrealistic beauty standards. “According to the specialists, possible negative consequences of internet socialization are as follows: interference with the ability to communicate with real people, loss of identity, formation of computer and internet addiction, distortion of value systems, information stress, neuroses, depressive states and, in the end, the desocialization of the individual” (Kholmogorova, A. 2018). A majority of Rare Beauty’s followers felt this way about themselves where they felt dissociated with others and not feeling good enough. After the launch of Rare Beauty and how active audiences saw the company’s involvement with mental health and the mission of the brand, the audience joins in on it making sure their story is told and others who are also struggling feel heard as well. Fans purchasing Rare Beauty products not only contribute to the brand’s goals but also raise awareness. For instance, on mental health awareness day at Sephora, tweest were going around demonstrating that buying these products on that day for 24 hours leads to proceeds being directed to the Rare Impact Fund, aiding those facing mental health challenges.

Gomez’s goal all along was to give people the opportunity to feel good about themselves and to give people opportunities to purchase good quality makeup for a reasonable price. In contrast, several cosmetic companies release items for no apparent reason or probable cause associated with them. Gomez’s argument is stronger as it connects their cause to a larger picture.An article written by Kadirov, D, et. al. examines beauty product marketers that use consumers’ perceptions of beauty to their advantage by inflating costs to imply better quality. “Some people develop ritualistic beauty-related behaviors, such as making cosmetics part of their daily regimen” (Kadirov, D, et. al. 2021). This could be argued where Gomez does not use her following for this reason, she insteads gives them hope of feeling more confident with a variety of products to choose from that involve more than just makeup. “Too many people feel trapped by unrealistic expectations of beauty that are impossible to achieve” (Mitchell, D. 2020). This article helps to examine how Gomez accomplishes the exact opposite, and her audience believes that she is doing a lot of good by encouraging others to accept that they are beautiful in their individual ways.

Gomez’s Rare Beauty is evidence that a brand that has an engaged audience is more successful. Without its audience to support Gomez and her staff, the business would not be performing as well as it is now, ranking as the third most popular cosmetics brand. The article written by Maria Fleischhack and Jonathan A. Rose proves just that. As a basis for social interaction and in terms of moral obligations, reciprocity plays a crucial role in the closer, more immediate, and more visible relationship between creators and consumers made possible by the Internet and social media. (Fleischhack, M. Rose, J. A. 2022). Through her business and mental health advocacy, Gomez has an engaged following on social media sites like Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram. Her followers’ shares and reposts are crucial to the success of her brand and the realization of her purpose.

Another article to understand why Gomez’s audience is superior to others is written by Nicholas Carah. He talks about the way companies function and leverage consumer engagement and popular culture is being profoundly changed by the recent and major shifts in the data-processing capacity of the evolving algorithmic, platform-dominated media landscape (Carah, N. 2020). This is recognized within the Rare Beauty brand because of the active audience involved within the brand and how her audience realizes that she wants more from her company rather than just the face of the makeup. Her audience vouches for her involvement all over digital media and their platform to get the recognition that her brand deserves.

Changing Beauty, Educating Minds: Selena Gomez’s Extraordinary Beauty Effect on Mental Health

In conclusion, Selena Gomez’s engaged fan base is essential to the success of her beauty line, Rare Beauty, which is a leader in the field of mental health awareness. Given that she has a history of mental health problems and diagnoses, the brand is all the more meaningful and significant since she wants others who are struggling to know they are not alone and is working to raise awareness of these concerns. Her fans’ strong support not only helps the company become more well-known but also emphasizes the importance of putting one’s mental health first and accepting one’s own beauty. With the participatory culture and audience commodity within fans, the brand exceeds when the audiences post about raving of all the good she’s doing and understanding of her mental health community tied to the brand. The active participation of her audience continues to be a motivating factor for Gomez and her team as they build a community that goes beyond traditional standards of beauty. This solidifies Rare Beauty’s influence in the fields of cosmetics and mental health advocacy.

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