Words Matter: Beauty Terms Allure Philippines Is Ditching For Good

Conversations around beauty are shifting, and Allure is taking the lead by ditching vocabulary that we’re seeing as harmful or simply unnecessary in how we speak about ourselves. “Anti-aging,” “whitening,” “bad or good hair day,” and “diet” (as a verb)—when it comes to describing people and products, we’re keeping these terms out of writing and making the commitment to no longer normalize them.

Anti-aging

When we talk about aging, the customary response is to list all that you’re doing to keep it from happening—as if we’re terrified of the very normal, very inevitable moment when wrinkles start forming. But aging is life’s natural course, not something we need to fear or fight. That’s why back in September 2017, Allure made the bold decision to no longer publish the word “anti-aging.” 

As recent as January 2025, in an Allure US article, we’re pushing the conversation even further by embracing the word “old.” A story headlined Old Lady Energy Flexed Its Well-Toned Muscles at the Golden Globes—meant to reclaim positivity and appreciate the complexity that comes with age—sparked a full-on debate online with opinions split down in the middle. It begs the question: What about being old is so offensive? Lines are badges of honor from a life lived. Crow’s feet and nasolabial folds are what laughter leaves behind. Why don’t we start seeing aging as a gift?

Whitening 

For years, we’ve been conditioned to think that naturally brown or dark skin is not enough. The culprit? Whitening products and the triggering ads that parrot its agenda. The word “whitening” still carries the heavy weight of outdated beauty standards, insistently burdening us with the thought that having lighter skin is the key to a better life. But the term is way past retirement. If we flipped the script and simply described skin for the color it is, we’re focusing on what we already have—whether morena or fair. The shift in language is simple, yet powerful. 

Bad (and Good) Hair Day

Everybody’s hair is different, and every day it’s different. Some days, it likes to be wild and free like a rockstar; other days, it’s calm and collected like a tea-sipping yoga instructor. Hair doesn’t wake up and decides to be bad or good. It just exists, and it doesn’t define how meaningful our days can be. Straight, curly, frizz, or wavy—hair is hair, not a challenge that needs to be managed, and there’s no shame in just letting it do its thing. 

Diet (as a verb)

Dieting, synonymous with needing to lose weight, gets thrown around easily by Pinoys especially during special occasions, which always revolve heavily around food. Think about the familiar quip “Mag-diet ka na nga” during reunions, Christmas, or fiestas. In Allure Philippines, you’ll find us using the word diet as a noun, going back to its original meaning as food and as a source of nourishment. Diets should be thought of as sustenance, not restriction, and definitely not as a means to guilt us into meeting standards that aren’t our own.