A woman named Tallulah Rose recently went viral after sharing a well-intentioned, but oh-so misinformed compliment men tend to give her. It left a lot of other women nodding in agreement, because it revealed what still seems to be a common beauty myth.
“I actually just, like, don’t understand men and how their brain works sometimes because today I was just minding my own business when this guy comes up to me and is like ‘you are so elegant, you are such a natural beauty,'” she said in the clip.
Of course, Rose is positive any other woman would instantly know that the beauty men are responding to is anything but natural.
“I think a woman can take one look at me and be like … this is fake,” she said before breaking down the costs of enhancements she’s made.
“My jawline cost $10,000, okay? My lips are clearly done. My hair is $2000, my lashes are $200 every two weeks.”
She then lifted her bangs to show a wrinkle-less forehead and immovable eyebrows, thanks to Botox or some other kind of anti-wrinkle injection. Plus, she has “enough makeup on to season a f***ing wok.”
Still, men will wistfully tell her “ ‘they don’t make them like you do these days.” to which Rose quipped, “yes they do with a needle and a scalpel!”
Since sharing this hot take, Rose’s video has garnered over 12 million views on TikTok and has been shared across several platforms. Most of the comments came from women who have had their own fair share of this experience.
Some were just as hilarious as the original video.
“My husband was like ‘please never get Botox’ If I could raise my eyebrows at him I would have,” one person wrote.
Another added, ““I’ve had male friends remark how I don’t wear heavy makeup like other girls. I spend at least 30 mins a day putting my face on.”
Over on X, people were just refreshed by Rose’s honesty.
Hahaha, this is brilliant. She owns it all and i love it
— вRι α. (@KARMASABLEEP) April 8, 2024
I kind of love her. I like that she’s not pretending it’s natural. I want to be her friend. https://t.co/3zrFtIcvFU
— A💫 (@basedbambii) April 8, 2024
Love this reply found in the comments: “She’s pointing out how ridiculous it is for men to say they prefer natural makeup/looks and then compliment a woman who has had so much work done. Men have no idea what natural looks like.”
Also love her candor! 🫶🏼 https://t.co/cbyMuFO5c5
— 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𓃰 (@thingwithching) April 8, 2024
Rose told news.com.au that many men “genuinely can’t tell the difference between a natural woman and a woman that has had cosmetic surgery,” primarily due to seeing celebrities who have had work done and assuming that’s the standard. She’ll often ask male friends to name a celebrity crush, and “they’ll name someone that has clearly had work done but they are just quite clueless to it.”
And that is really where the important conversation comes in. Unrealistic beauty standards aren’t necessarily a new issue. But now the paradox of cosmetic procedures being stigmatized while at the same time not even acknowledged in much of what is touted as natural beauty puts women in an impossible position. They can’t naturally live up to these expectations, and then are labeled as fake if they do make efforts to look enhanced (which is the new normal…make it make sense).
Point is: Praising a woman for her “natural beauty” might be intended as a compliment. But for many, it’s neither true, nor a compliment.