As you begin this New Year, you may be thinking of changes you can make to improve your life.
Exercising more, eating less, and finding the joy in each day may all be on your list.
We’d like to suggest one more possibility: slow down.
Isn’t it true that we all feel rushed these days? It’s a hurry-hurry world, and if you’re not careful, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed and worn out.
Slowing down may feel impossible most of the time, but more and more people are longing for a more manageable pace in their lives—so many that there is now a new cultural movement afoot called the “Slow Movement.”
It’s all about slowing down, taking our time, and enjoying the moment. What we like is that the idea is bleeding into the beauty industry in a companion movement called “Slow Beauty.” Here’s more about this movement and why you may want to join us in embracing it!
What is the Slow Movement?
The Slow Movement is thought to have started in the later 1980s in Rome. A man protested the opening of a McDonald’s restaurant in the Piazza di Spagna, and that sparked the beginning of the Slow Food movement, which was all about rejecting the fast-food culture and returning to the enjoyment of traditional foods and regional produce.
The idea caught on quickly, and soon spawned many related cultural movements as humanity embraced the idea of slowness in every part of life. In 2004, Carl Honoré published a book entitled In Praise of Slow, in which he explored how the philosophy of slow might be applied in every field of human endeavor.
Honoré described the Slow Movement as rejecting the notion that faster is always better, and embracing a slower pace that allows us to savor the time we spend doing any activity. He also wrote that it was about doing things well rather than as fast as possible, and about focusing on quality over quantity.
People today have embraced the slow culture in not only food, but fashion, gardening, parenting, money management, travel, overall living, and more. It only makes sense that this movement would soon hit the beauty industry.
What is Slow Beauty?
Like the Slow Movement in other areas of life, Slow Beauty (also called Slow Cosmetics) is all about slowing down, returning to what’s natural and nourishing, and savoring the moment.
Think about your typical skincare or beauty routine. Do you slow down and enjoy every step, or do you rush through to get on to the next thing?
If you’re like most of us, you probably rush through. It’s okay. We get it. We all do it. It’s part of our hurry hurry culture. But what if we changed just this one area of our lives?
What if instead of rubbing your face with a harsh cleanser, splashing it clean, and then running out the door, you took the time to enjoy taking care of yourself?
Proponents of Slow Beauty suggest this type of approach because of the many benefits it can create. Not only can slowing down help you take better care of your skin, but it can also help you enjoy your beauty routine so that it becomes a stress-relieving activity and one that nourishes you from the inside out.
There are many aspects to the Slow Beauty movement that we love, and they often involve rejecting the old way of doing things and embracing a newer, healthier way.
Looking at this table, which side would you prefer? We think you’ll agree that Slow Beauty is the better way to go.
We hope you’ll join us in adopting the philosophy of Slow Beauty this year. The world isn’t going to slow down anytime soon, but we can choose to take some things slowly, and nowhere may that be more beneficial than in our beauty routines.
Have you embraced Slow Beauty?
