Mika Deshmukh

Introduction to Visual Culture

VMS 202 Olson

12.02.16

Glossier’s Hyperreal Employment of Instagram Branding

Mika Deshmukh

Introduction to Visual Culture

VMS 202 Olson

12.02.16

Glossier’s Hyperreal Employment of Instagram Branding

No industry comes close to the beauty industry in terms of employing relentless

marketing and branding campaigns. Companies bombard women with magazine and TV ads of

nearly-naked models clutching bottles of perfume or celebrity endorsers with larger-than-life

dark eyelashes demonstrating the “magic” of a mascara formula. For luxury and drugstore brands

alike, the goal of beauty advertisements in the past was to induce a self-inflicted judgmental

comparison between the heavily photo-shopped woman in the ad and the woman viewing that ad

so that the insecurities evoked would prompt her to purchase the product. However, millennials

armed with a critical awareness of how women are portrayed in media are infiltrating the beauty

industry and creating new marketing strategies. They have reacted to the negativity in traditional

beauty advertising by choosing to focus on positivity in new marketing and branding campaigns.

Products are now represented as being for “real” women to use to enhance their natural beauty

and boost their confidence. Glossier, an independent company just a few years old, is the best

example of how the millennial beauty marketing and branding philosophy can be applied to

modern media channels to achieve success.

An independent beauty company with a small, but popular arsenal of skincare and

makeup products, Glossier has built up a loyal consumer base almost entirely through Instagram.

Glossier regularly updates their profile with carefully curated photos ranging from aesthetic to

promotional purposes. The company also uses the social media platform to interact with their

community of “Glossier girls.” Dubbing themselves “a beauty brand that just wants to be friends

with you,” Glossier uses their Instagram and their interactions with their consumers on the

platform to create a carefully constructed visual representation of their company that transcends

their physical products to convey a reality that operates according to Glossier’s company

aesthetics and philosophy1. In this paper, I will conduct a close analysis of two images from

Glossier’s Instagram profile to demonstrate how the company has used the platform to launch a

1 Glossier’s philosophy is centered upon effortless, natural beauty; independent, ambitious career women; and a propagation of pleasing aesthetics, which can be seen by their Instagram posts featuring works of fledgling artists, clean architecture, and luxurious high fashion.

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marketing strategy that can be understood through the lens of Baudrillard’s concept of

hyperreality, Lacan’s sense of lack, and the commodity self. Glossier’s use of Instagram has also

helped the company to establish itself with different demographics of women that come together

to create the “Glossier girl” community.

Jean Baudrillard’s writing on simulacra examines the relationship between representation

and reality (Baudrillard 170). He posits that simulacra blur the line between the real and the

unreal to the extent that the representation is no longer based upon an original reality at all (167).

Building upon this study, his term hyperreal refers to a media reality that is perceived to be more

real than the real itself (166). The hyperreal is exemplified by social media profiles, whether they

be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. By choosing what photos we post and the 140

characters we type, we intentionally curate an online identity that others perceive as a more

accurate, more real representation of our reality than what actually occurs in our daily lives.

Instagram itself has become a hyperreal of images in a specific aesthetic style that dictates how

we document our worlds. We take photos that we perceive as aligning with Instagram’s

“aesthetic” and filter them accordingly, participating actively in the construction of Instagram’s

aesthetic hyperreality and the hyperreality of our own lives as created through our Instagram

profiles. This active participation in constructing a hyperreality ties into Baudrillard’s precession

of simulacra, where “the map precedes the territory” (166), or in the case of Instagram, where we

first post photos that contribute to a hyperreality which we subsequently attempt to emulate in

reality.

Although they are fundamentally a company selling skincare and makeup products,

Glossier has created a hyperreality of an Instagram aesthetic lifestyle using the platform. Most

noticeable is a recurring color scheme of blush pink, mixed with portraits of women with clear,

radiant skin and Glossier products carefully stacked in medicine cabinets or artfully arranged on

vanities. The collective aesthetic cohesion of these photos craft a hyperreal Glossier that is a

sequence of daily visual experiences composed of the aforementioned signifiers of the

company’s brand. Those who follow the company on Instagram can easily believe that Glossier

the Instagram user with an aesthetic lifestyle is more real than Glossier the company trying to

promote their products. This makes women more likely to purchase Glossier products in an

attempt to emulate the hyperreality of the Instagram aesthetic in their own lives2. 2 Convinced by Glossier’s hyperreal to buy products to emulate their own hyperrealities, these women participate in a kind of hyperreal feedback loop related to Baudrillard’s theories. The result of Glossier’s Instagram hyperreality is

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Consumerist culture is based upon a paradox: when we make a purchase, there is a

temporary satiation of desire that is accompanied by an anxiety to purchase more. Companies

capitalize on this paradox, showing us through ads how our lives would be better if only we

bought their product. Glossier takes advantage of this paradox, while also employing marketing

techniques that tie into Lacan’s sense of lack and the concept of the commodity self. Lacan wrote

on the “mirror stage,” or the first time that infants see themselves in a mirror, after which they

spend the rest of their lives trying to attain that “mirror self.” He theorized that this creates a

perpetual “sense of lack” that motivates our every action (Sturken and Cartwright 278-279). This

sense of lack is why we consume commodities. As we consume to try feel fulfilled, we build a

“commodity self,” or an identity composed of the products we buy and use. Instagram profiles

function akin to this “mirror self.” The photos posted represent only certain facets of our life and

gloss over the moments that we don’t want others to see. We are constantly trying to achieve the

life that our “Instagram self” lives, whether that be by purchasing certain clothes or arranging our

living spaces to align with the Instagram’s constructed aesthetic. The “Instagram self” may be

the contemporary equivalent of Lacan’s “mirror self”; we strive to, but inevitably fail, to live up

to the hyperreal life we construct on our Instagram profiles.

Glossier’s Instagram profile showcases a relatable lifestyle, but one that is complete

because of the company’s products. Each photo implies that women can fulfill the “sense of

lack” in their everyday lives simply by purchasing Glossier skincare or makeup. Their photos

encourage us to build a commodity self of Glossier products that, along with art, fashion, and

career ambition, will make us a member of the company’s “cool girl” community.

The first image I will analyze is a photo of Glossier skin tint and facial cleanser, on a

stack of books topped with a blush pink heeled boot. The stack of books includes the book

#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amaruso and The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard. This

book selection reflects Glossier’s strategies to attract ambitious working women as consumers.

The photo contributes to Glossier’s hyperreal because of its alignment with the company’s color

scheme and its positioning of Glossier products alongside signifiers that could be a part of any

woman’s life. The blush pink boot signifies Glossier’s inextricable tie to Instagram culture’s

hyperreal of a “fashionable” lifestyle, constructed by users who post photos of products

arbitrarily deemed “in” or trendy by lifestyle media. Placing the products next to this boot and a

that women purchase their products and post photos of them, creating their own hyperreality; Glossier tries to emulate in these photos on their profile, which yields a feedback loop (Financial Times).

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stack of books on career ambition signifies to Instagram users that Glossier is not just a beauty

company, but rather a means of personal elevation, perhaps to achieve the “Instagram self.” If

they purchase Glossier products, they will build a commodity self in alignment with their

“Instagram self” that is more driven, elegant, successful, and “cool.”

This Instagram photo looks like it was captured by chance, as if this display of

commodities was just lying around a woman’s home. By creating an illusion of spontaneity,

Glossier spurns blatantly promotional beauty advertising for an approach intended to show the

“realness” of their products. The intimate, authentic feeling the photo gives off attracts a sector

of women on Instagram who are interested in high fashion, and/or who are aiming to achieve

more in their careers. If Glossier were to post a photo of just the skin tint and facial cleanser

against a plain background, it would not be nearly as successful at drawing the attention of

potential customers and holding the attention of women who have already bought their products.

This photo interpellates3 women on Instagram by showing the company’s products integrated

into a way of life that they can imagine themselves leading. Glossier is manipulating the

personal, close-up angles of typical Instagram photos to brand itself as an authentic company for

stylish, ambitious women.

The second image I will analyze is a photo of Glossier products and the company’s

signature pink bubble wrap ziplock bags on top of a toilet, with a little bit of a bathroom counter

showing that also has Glossier products on top of it. The bathroom itself looks completely

ordinary; there is not an emphasis on style that was in the first image I analyzed; however, this

post still adds to Glossier’s hyperreality by reinforcing the idea of a Glossier lifestyle that

emulates Instagram’s hyperreal aesthetic. The products pictured appear to be in use by a real

woman, convincing women that Glossier products could be a part of their daily reality as well.

By featuring Glossier products and packaging arranged in an average bathroom, this photo calls

attention to how they could enhance or fulfill our daily lives. This photo so seamlessly flows

with Instagram’s hyperreality, that it is something we can imagine posting on our own profile.

Also appealing to the concept of the commodity self, this image features an array of Glossier

products in a normal bathroom as if to emphasize that an identity constructed with Glossier’s

3 The concept of interpellation refers to how ideology hails us as viewers. In this case, the ideology is that the average woman needs Glossier products because they already fit into her lifestyle (as demonstrated by the relatable Instagram photos). Interpellation stems from theories of ideology, specifically Althusser’s theory that we can’t help but be interpellated by ideology because our entire world is made up of ideologies (Sturcken & Cartwright 69-70).

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products, and the company’s corresponding hyperreal lifestyle, is very much attainable for the

average woman.

Just as in the first image, this photo is casual, as if someone went over to a friend’s

apartment and found her bathroom looking like this. Instead of posting a photo of their products

lined up in a stock photo style, Glossier posted this image, which portrays all their products in a

more relatable setting. In this case, Glossier is seeking to attract the average woman who is

looking for skincare and makeup products that aren’t positioned in a fantasy world, such as those

of highbrow brands like Dior or Chanel. The photo was posted to interpellate women who want

products that can be integrated into their lifestyles. Once again, Glossier takes advantage of

Instagram’s original intent to be a personal photo-sharing platform to brand itself as authentic

towards a demographic of women looking for products that help them attain the existing

hyperreal they’ve created for themselves on Instagram.

Although Glossier is an independent beauty company, they achieved rapid growth and a

devoted consumer community because of their manipulation of media, namely Instagram.

Instead of simply using their profile to inundate women with advertisements for their company,

Glossier curates a collection of cohesive images that makes millennial women feel personally

connected with the company, akin to a friendship. With photos that feature products (without

being overtly promotional), women with beautiful skin, and photos that align with Glossier’s

artistic aesthetic, the company forges a more intimate connection with their customers on

Instagram, simulating interactions we have with real friends on the platform. Glossier “likes”

photos that are captioned with relevant hashtags and often reposts photos of their products taken

by customers, giving off a sense of collective ownership over the beauty company’s image and

vision. This social media marketing initiative has fostered an unwavering sense of loyalty to the

company that developed very quickly, emulating the fast-paced connections and reactions that

make up Instagram’s social media platform.

Glossier is a valuable example of the undeniable link between social media and

consumerism today, as well as being an example of how Baudrillard’s concept of the hyperreal

and Lacan’s “sense of lack” in relation to the commodity self are still applicable to millennial

advertising methods. The mass amount of marketing campaigns taking place on social media

means that consumers have more options to choose from. This expansion of choice poses a

challenge for companies trying to collect a loyal customer base through social media: they must

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stand out from the other brands also carrying out marketing campaigns, while maintaining strong

relationships with their existing customers to avoid losing them to other brands. Although social

media marketing campaigns involve elements of narrowcasting to target a company’s niche

consumer demographic, they must evolve to also become multidirectional so that customers feel

more of a personal connection with the brand. Glossier has managed to achieve this

multidirectional, yet niche audience-oriented social media campaign perfectly. They have

managed to attract the attention of celebrities, young professionals, and college students alike,

funneling these separate demographics into a community that is fiercely loyal to both Glossier

products and the Glossier “lifestyle.” It remains to be seen how other beauty companies will look

to Glossier’s social media strategies and subsequent success to accelerate their own growth and

secure customer loyalty as well.

Bibliography

Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press,

1994. Print.

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"Feedback Loop." Ft.com/lexicon. Financial Times, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.

<http://lexicon.ft.com/Term?term=feedback-loop>.

Glossier. (@glossier). Instagram, 16 Nov 2016, https://www.instagram.com/p/BMz-

fcQDX52/?taken-by=glossier

Glossier. (@Glossier). Instagram, 9 Nov 2016,

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMeVqgijZET/

Sturken, Marita, and Lisa Cartwright. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual

Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.

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