'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Just Tackled Modern Beauty

Being the epitome of beautiful has never been so damn complicated. And now, Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom), a misfit of her generation, is trying to wrap her head around beauty standards on The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend . After a hyperbolized spoof of the classic makeover often seen in rom-coms, in the episode, "When Will Josh and His Friend Leave Me Alone?," the outcome isn't something audiences are accustomed to. "We wanted to explore what the beauty norms are for her now. Everyone's looking to be effortless," says executive producer Aline Brosh McKenna. She explains how she sees herself in Rebecca and why the show takes a non-preachy look at the current beauty standard.

"The things we set out for women, having gone through all the phases in my life, it's always a different kind of [standard]," says McKenna. "Usually when you do makeovers, they're all trying to look like kind of synthetic people." But after getting her makeover, Rebecca doesn't. Maybe because that isn’t so ideal these days. "When I was growing up... It was more kind of glam, manicured thing. Now... it's almost worse in a way," she says.

What's challenging about the modern beauty people worship is that it looks effortless, but achieving it isn’t. "You're supposed to look like you're doing nothing and your hair is like you emerged from the ocean," McKenna explains. "At least in my day, you could blow dry your hair. Now, it's supposed to be like... no-makeup selfie, but look like you have makeup on."

Ain't that the truth.

In her day, a trip to a department store for a "nice dress" would suffice. But not anymore. "Now, it has to be like jean shorts layered with vests, it's so complicated... Trying to look like a Coachella, festival girl but not like a hobo. It's hard," she says. "And it involves a lot of fake hair."

Although the festival look wasn't all the rage in McKenna's day, her experience growing up definitely influences the scene and the show's message. Like Rebecca, she tried to fit in with what was hip, but it just wasn't her. "When I was in the nineties, Rachel's age, we had to wear giant flannel shirts with baggy jeans, I just looked like an actual dude. Somehow, there were girls who looked so cute in that. Me, I just felt like I looked like Richie Sambora," she jokes.

Without bashing or ridiculing festival girls on Instagram, the show merely makes audiences think about what they consider to be beautiful. And I can definitely appreciate that.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend airs Friday nights at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.

Images: The CW (3)