About five years ago, I wrote an article about 'jeck masks' - skincare-infused chin straps that claimed to lift and tone the jowl, jaw and neck area. Of course, they did nothing.
Or at least, not in a way that lasted beyond a quick selfie. Yes, they made my face look a little slimmer and tighter for the first five minutes after taking them off, but it was a gimmick - one that came off the back of an influx of Google searches of 'how to fix my WFH face' during the pandemic.
So, when Kim Kardashian unveiled something similar, her new $48 SKIMS Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap, it gave me Deja vu. Despite the huge reaction, it wasn't some groundbreaking innovation – it's a reboot of an old fad that the South Koreans invented. And just like 'jeck masks', this supposed jawline-snatching bandage was most likely launched off the back of a trend - this time Tik Tok's #morningshred that involves people layering on products before bed with the hope of achieving wow skin by morning.
© SkimsBut why did this SKIMS version make me so angry?
Kim presumes that we are all stupid. I genuinely thought she was joking when I listened to her commentary on Instagram. She claimed that this new line of 'face shapewear' was a 'necessity’ because it offered 'amazing jaw support' that 'snatches your chinny chin chin.' She then continued this parody of a bedtime story to say that this head-hugging contraption is 'super comfortable to wear at night or around the house.'
© WWD via Getty ImagesYou're kidding us, right, Kim? In whose world? The only thing I need at night is my pillow and air con - not to feel like I'm being suffocated by shapewear. The last thing I want is a nylon bandage (even one infused with 'collagen yarns' - whatever they are) wrapped around my face while I try to sleep, or WALK AROUND THE HOUSE IN. It looks like the kind of thing that would give you heat rash, not a snatched jawline.
Also, can we talk about timing? We know that it's no coincidence that Kris Jenner's 69-year-old 'snatched' jawline recently made headlines just a few weeks before her daughter's face wrap launch. But spoiler alert: it's more likely and believable, that Kris' 'snatch' came from her recent, much-talked-about facelift, not a stretchy piece of fabric.
© Instagram/Kris JennerAnger and cynicism
The marketing of the product doesn't help alleviate my anger or cynicism either. The model on the website is wearing it with a matching SKIMS bodysuit - I mean as if this Mission Impossible style face wrap 'pairs well' with shapewear. Honestly, it looks more like a Met Gala prop than a beauty product. And maybe that's where it belongs?
Even my husband Dan rolled his eyes when I showed him. "It'll all drop again when you take it off," he said. Exactly. You can't duct-tape your way to long-term results. And as one of my Instagram followers commented when I shared my rant: "Even Kim K can't defy gravity!"
© InstagramThat's the thing - no product can give the results that Kim is promising. Not permanently. As another follower put it, have a salty dinner, glass of wine or just exist in the summer heat - your face will puff up. Drink some water, it'll come down again. And that tip will save you almost $50!
The final nail
So, for me, this isn't just another Kardashian beauty launch – it's perhaps the final nail in the coffin for the unrealistic beauty standards they set. The pressure that women like Kim put on us to feel the need to fix our faces - to smooth, lift, tighten and snatch - all while they are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on facelifts and surgeries, is finally being called out.
© Emma McIntyreYou only have to look at the comments on Instagram to know that women are growing exhausted of these unrealistic, patronising, and ironically ugly approaches to aging.
As a Beauty Editor who at 49, is trying to encourage and inspire women of all ages to proudly and gratefully embrace the faces that we have earned, I find it offensive that Kim and the people behind her brand not only launched this product but also assume that we believe it works.
© InstagramThere will always be gimmicks - I know that as someone who has worked in the industry for over 25 years. But as Kim is in a position of enormous influence, especially over young women, she should be using that power to encourage self-acceptance and age positivity.
I love skincare and feeling good in my skin, but this kind of ridiculous and unbelievable beauty product sends the message that we need to go to extremes to 'fix' ourselves 24/7.
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I am hoping that the launch of this face wrap is actually the moment we all wake up. Maybe it’s one eye roll too far in the world of unrealistic aging standards.
So, Kim can keep her face wrap. I know my worth isn't hanging from my jawline. And I hope you do too!
