issue 8 // volume 43 life & style // no. ‘Wi

Being on brand

> Self-branding vs. self-identity

Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor

he words “brand” and “branding” have taken on an interesting new meaning in the past year or so, and it is in part due to an evolution in social media. Before, connecting on social media seemed a lot more cerebral, due to the fact that most content was text-based. Yes, even early social media sites did have photo albums or something similar for you to share pictures, but that content wasn’t what drove you to log in every day. There was a base need to connect—meaning you wanted to share your feelings and thoughts with the world. The reason for this differs from person to person, as well as from platform to platform. Sex has always been at the centre of most human interaction, but there was also the idea of finding a sympathetic ear, as well as a desire to expand your social network with people that share your interests and hobbies. Nowadays, we're seeing a shift in social media. The goal is no longer to connect with people, but rather to live vicariously through their experiences, or allow them to live vicariously through yours. To put it very simply, that cerebral experience that arose from the text-based interaction that I mentioned earlier is being replaced by visual experiences. This is why visually based social media platforms are becoming so popular. Apps like Instagram are taking over, while social media networks like Facebook are becoming an after-thought in your daily routine. Because your social media is

now about selling the experience of being you, this has driven people to start cultivating their online persona in very specific ways. This is where the “branding” comes in. Users have begun treating themselves as a brand, something of commercial value for public consumption, which in itself is not a problem. I mean, celebrities have been doing this for ages. Where this sort of ideology begins to falter

is when you mistake this idea of self- branding with your own sense of self— in other words, when you mistake it

Beauty on a budget: Eyebrows by Essence and LOreal

> Make your brows fierce for Fall

Lauren Kelly Editor-in-Chief

[I has been awhile since I’ve covered any brow products in my column, and I was ready to dabble in the broader spectrum of what’s available in the drugstore market. After research, the LOreal Brow Stylist Definer seemed like a winner, and

I decided to try Essence’s Make Me Brow after I was recommended it by the beauty consultant at Shoppers Drug Mart, who called it a great dupe for Benefit’s Gimme Brow.

Make Me Brow is a tinted eyebrow gel that’s described as a 3-in-1, because it colours, fills, and shapes. The product comes in a small tube with a tiny, mascara-like brush. It comes in three colours: Blondy Brow, Browny Brow, and Soft Browny Brow. Because I have very dark eyebrows,

I purchased their darkest shade, Browny Brow. When using it as a gel to shape my eyebrows, it made a large impact. They looked much neater and more structured after I was done. It did build them up a bit to result in a fuller brow, but I didn’t notice any tinting on my own eyebrows. However, I tested Browny Brown on someone with much lighter eyebrows, and the tinting made a dramatic difference. The eyebrow it was used on looked significantly darker. For those with lighter eyebrows who want to keep them more polished without filling them in with another product, Make Me Brow is quick and easy. If you want to use it to set your brows after filling them in like I do, it also works very well. The second product I used was LOreal Brow Stylist Definer. It is in a long, thin pencil type tube, and features a very fine point, perfect

Photo via Brittney MacDonald

for your identity or autonomy. Autonomy is defined as “freedom from external control or influence,” which is impossible for a brand because a brand is influenced by its consumers. How this relates to personal branding is that many adopt a brand- like mentality when it comes to the aesthetics of their content. So, being “on brand” simply refers to you being loyal to your aesthetic preferences, or the aesthetic that is popular. Unfortunately, as an individual, if you remain too dedicated to your own

for accurately and naturally filling in your brows. You twist the tube to reach more product, so there is no worry about it dulling or needing to sharpen it. The other end of tube has a cap with a small brush under it to comb the product through your brows after and soften it. | purchased it in Dark Brunette, and it matched my eyebrows well. As directed, I outlined my eyebrows and then used small strokes to fill in any gaps. I ended up with dramatic but natural-looking eyebrows, and the process was fairly quick.

I really liked both products I tried this week, and they work great together. However, if I had to pick one, I would say Make Me Brow for sure. At $3.99 at Shopper’s Drug Mart, it is a bargain. LOreal’s Brow Stylist Definer was definitely a winner as well, though, and you can buy it for $9.96 at Wal-Mart.

“brand,” you run the risk of stagnation. Your identity becomes too attached to a way of being and portraying yourself that is entirely determined by your base following, because they are the ones that determine how they interpret the content you put out. In essence, your “brand” isn’t yours, but is merely how other people see you. So if you make a change—or go “off-brand”—you run the risk of being accused of “selling out” or losing some of your base following as your identity naturally evolves and changes. Fear of this can drive people to actively maintain certain aspects of their personality that gained them popularity, but may no longer reflect their current views or mood, sometimes to their detriment. To give an example, I recently attended a party where I met someone who follows me, but who I had never interacted with despite similar social circles. They mentioned both to me and a mutual friend that they were surprised at how personable and cheery I was because my Twitter and Instagram feeds are very loner- and macabre- based. This experience made me realize that the way I was presenting myself outside of my writing only portrayed one very distinct aspect of my personality, the one most affected by my visual aesthetic preferences, which lean more towards dark and brooding. These choices, when seen completely independent of the rest of my personality, paint a picture of someone very gloomy and apathetic, which I like to think I’m not. Taking all of this into consideration, I am not advising people to stop self- branding. Just don’t let your “brand” become the only you that people see.

Photo Illustration by Joel