I have started to joke with some of my close friends that graduate school is where I learn how to become a skilled content creator or influencer. I often connect my learning to the beauty industry. I have filmed myself briefly instructing how to curl hair to share with my cohort, I interviewed a recent cosmetology school graduate to understand more about her adult learning experience, and here I am, again, circling back to beauty.
I grew up with relatively unfettered access to the internet in the early days of YouTube. I found a few girls doing makeup videos online, and I was hooked. Back then, we called them beauty gurus, and they taught me everything I needed to know about eyeshadow application, contouring, winged eyeliner, blush and bronzer, curling irons, and so much more. In middle school, I needed the tools (makeup brushes or decent products) to apply what I had learned. In high school, I finally had the resources to invest in some tools. I remember ordering my first brush and the Coastal Scents 88 colors palette (Figure 1). I created so many bright pink and purple eyeshadow looks, and I happily experimented with the techniques the beauty gurus had taught me over the years. My identity, as someone who loved makeup and wanted to learn everything I could about it, existed separately from my identity as a student. I enjoyed learning in school, but I also enjoyed learning about makeup out of school. It scratched a part of my brain that algebra or world literature could not quite get. When I reflect now, I wonder whether it was the informal nature of the makeup learning that I enjoyed more than anything.
Figure 1: Coastal Scents 88 Color Palette
In college, I entered the Reddit affinity space (Gee & Hayes, 2009) r/makeupaddiction. Almost daily, I would open Reddit and comb through posts of people posting their makeup looks and product reviews. I would comment, critique, and praise when asked for by a community member. I read product reviews for hours before purchasing one item to add to my growing collection. Occasionally, I would post my makeup looks for feedback on my application. There were experts in the forum who would offer actionable and supportive feedback that allowed me to grow my craft. “Affinity spaces are well-designed spaces that resource and mentor learners, old and new, beginners and masters alike” (Gee & Hayes, 2009, p. 3). I never felt unwelcome to ask for feedback in the community or participate in conversations, regardless of whether I thought I was skilled or perceived by others as unskilled. There was a safety in the r/makeupaddiction community that allowed me to freely experiment, learn from others, and share my own knowledge. The experience in the subreddit taught me the value of online communities and affinity spaces as a place for continuous personal growth.
A particular experience in this affinity group that stands out to me as a learning opportunity was when I finally posted my first makeup look and flagged it as CCW, or constructive criticism welcome. I had experimented with a tiny travel-size eyeshadow palette to create a week’s worth of distinctly different eyeshadow looks. I felt that I had honed in on my craft. When I posted my findings on r/makeupaddiction, I was overwhelmed with feedback. I received lots of positive comments and praise, but there were also some comments criticizing the lack of creativity in my makeup looks or the lighting in my photos. My post even made its way to the satirical subreddit r/muacirclejerk. I quickly realized that if I posted my face on the internet for judgment, I would have to toughen up some in my ability to receive evaluations from people in my affinity group. The criticism was well-meaning and functioned as affinity spaces are intended to work. “In an affinity space, everyone can, if they want, generate material for others to use” (Gee & Hayes, 2009, p. 3). I created a material for others to take inspiration and provide constructive criticism. Experts and novices alike were able to engage with me and support my learning and growth in the community. Ultimately, the experience of posting helped me to improve my eyeshadow application. The community I found on Reddit gave me the confidence to go public with my interest in makeup, and I posted about it on my short-lived makeup blog.
Reflecting on these experiences, I notice how much of my learning was shaped by the supportive and inclusive online community, the affinity space. The ability to find others who shared my passion for makeup created a unique sense of belonging that I had not really found in classrooms or organizations.
We believe that learning how to produce and not just consume in popular culture…is one good way to start the critical process, since it can give the learner the meta-knowledge and meta-language about the design of things to form questions about interests and social goods (Gee & Hayes, 2009, p. 4-5).
The affinity space was one where I could freely experiment, ask questions, and receive constructive feedback. I also became a more engaged consumer of goods and made more conscious choices in my purchases, largely due to the affinity space.
Looking back, I also wonder if my interest in makeup may have developed differently if it had not been for YouTube or, eventually, Reddit. Perhaps I would have relied more on magazines to teach skills and provide product reviews. The interactive and personalized nature of online informal learning played a considerable role in my development and learning as a makeup and beauty enthusiast. My interest in the beauty industry may seem frivolous to some, but it has been so much more than simply a source of enjoyment and entertainment. It has impacted my self-esteem and confidence while allowing me to flex my creativity. I am thankful for the online spaces that allowed me to learn and grow my craft.
I expect to continue to be a member of online beauty communities, whether Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, or technologies that are not even imagined in 2024. My time and resources are not as abundant as they were in college, but I think there will always be a place for exploration, experimentation, and connection within these spaces through collaborative and informal learning.
References
Gee, J. P., & Hayes, E. (2009, January 19). Public pedagogy through video games.
Lohr, K. (2017, April 17). A week of tartelette tease. Tumblr.
Reddit. (n.d.) r/makeupaddiction [Forum].