Gen Z, those aged 18-25, are urging brands and influencers online to depict themselves more authentically and say bye-bye to Facetune and filters.
In a recent survey by Marketing Charts 2022, over 45% of Gen Z claimed that “there is too much pressure to be perfect on social media”, with another 42% stating that “people should show more of their real selves/lives” online.
Moreover, Gen Z have been a large factor in promoting ethical businesses and are now credited with influencing how brands, particularly those within the beauty and skincare industry, handle their online presence.
Those working within social media are accounting a shift in behavior, moving away from Instagram’s perfectly-reflective, visually-pleasing world and witnessing more brands, celebrities and influencers documenting authentic, stripped back posts.
One celeb influencer from the UK who has receieved continual support for showing the ‘real’ parts of her life, moods and experiences in Vicky Pattison.
As seen in the post above, she is constantly reminding her social media followers that not everything is as perfect as it seems online.
From doing so, the former reality star has received a lot of support from both women and men online, one user wrote on one of her posts “love how genuine and honest you are”.
Another stated, “Vicky, you are gorgeous in every way! ❤️ true inspiration to all of us out here! thank you for that, thank you for the transparency- that’s what’ missing these days and you simply don’t hide it!’.
In regards to brands that are advocating for greater transparency and accepting people for who they are, Cult Beauty, has been a leading force in this ideology.
The beauty brand had launched a campaign last year, #UpCloseOnSkincare, the brand explained they hope to urge “showcasing real skin in its naturally-beautiful state whilst shining a light on some of the beauty world’s most-talked-about topics (filters, we’re looking at you)”.
According to the company’s research, 45% of Cult Beauty’s community mentioned they would feel uncomfortable uploading an unfiltered image of their skin to social media.
It was due to that fact that CEO, Alexia Inge, realized it was vital for Cult Beauty to continue to encourage others “to celebrate and love the skin they were in”.
Gen Z & Influencer power
The good news is, over 50% of Gen Z state that they trust influencer reccommendations. What this means is, that influencers must uphold the integrity and honest with their followers, to depict to them the unfiltered parts of their lives.
Another deriving point from this finding, 67% of Gen Z members prefer seeing real people in advertisements.
These statistics should indicate that the initiative for authenticity is essential to succeed in this circumstance.
Both online and offline, Gen Z are much more inclusive than other generations and therefore, they are more likely to engage with and decide to buy from companies who make them feel part of something greater than themself.
Do you believe in the idea of posting more authentically online? Tweet us your thoughts @itpliveme.