Southern Girls Beauty and Femininity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is this romanticizing of the South? You think everyone looks like sorority girls wearing dresses to SEC football games?

Large portions of the South have struggling schools and high unemployment/underemployment. So you're going to see plenty of frumpy people with muffin tops wearing too-tight Hollister t-shirts and shitty flip-flops. Just like anywhere else.

+1

Also, pssst... DC is in the south.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. As a self aware "frumpy" woman I have secretly always admired and been envious of these beautiful, put together feminine women. How do they find the time or the energy for such meticulous effort?

It takes time but not THAT much time. Go somewhere nice and have your hair cut and colored. Go to an upscale salon where someone can help you with your style. You will have to wait for an available appointment.

Okay now go to Sephora and also a department store and have your makeup done. Also work with a stylist somewhere like Nordstrom for a new wardrobe. You want high quality feminine clothes. Some dresses for work, dresses for dates, skirts and tops etc. make sure you have something casual to wear for he weekends that isn't frumpy. For example, cute wedges or flats, jeans that fit you well and nice shirts. buy a pair of practical heels for work. Purchase new lingerie and have a bra fitting. You can do all of this in one weekend or two.

Figure you need to spend one evening a week and something beauty related. For example a mani/pedi or hair removal.

Make sure and do your hair and put on makeup before leaving the house. Bring powder and lipstick should you need to reapply before a meeting or event.

Have your hair blown out at your new salon before a date night or before a big event.

Most women I know who look put together spend a fair amount of time to do it.

Styling hair alone takes most white women about an hour, if they don't put their hair up in a ponytail.

Men - if you see a white woman with stick straight hair vs frizzy or curly hair, it means she spent at least an hour straightening it.

As for the makeup, you don't need more than 5 minutes if all you're putting on is mascara and lip gloss. But most people need a lot more than that to look good. Most people have horrible skin, so their makeup routine takes at least a half an hour, an hour isn't really unheard of. (Evening skin alone requires coverup, foundation, highlighter, bronzer, blush, etc..)

It doesn't necessarily take this long. I spend an hour every morning getting ready including shower, hair and makeup. If I didn't style my hair or put on makeup it would take 30 minutes. I do spend more time for an event or date night

[Anonymous]

It takes me 30 minutes to do shower, hair, & makeup. I always look put-together bc my job is often onstage or public-facing. That 30 min. includes a full face (foundation, blush, highlighter, eyes, lips). Styling hair =\= straightening. If it takes you two hours to do hair & makeup, you're on Broadway or you're doing it wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. As a self aware "frumpy" woman I have secretly always admired and been envious of these beautiful, put together feminine women. How do they find the time or the energy for such meticulous effort?

It takes time but not THAT much time. Go somewhere nice and have your hair cut and colored. Go to an upscale salon where someone can help you with your style. You will have to wait for an available appointment.

Okay now go to Sephora and also a department store and have your makeup done. Also work with a stylist somewhere like Nordstrom for a new wardrobe. You want high quality feminine clothes. Some dresses for work, dresses for dates, skirts and tops etc. make sure you have something casual to wear for he weekends that isn't frumpy. For example, cute wedges or flats, jeans that fit you well and nice shirts. buy a pair of practical heels for work. Purchase new lingerie and have a bra fitting. You can do all of this in one weekend or two.

Figure you need to spend one evening a week and something beauty related. For example a mani/pedi or hair removal.

Make sure and do your hair and put on makeup before leaving the house. Bring powder and lipstick should you need to reapply before a meeting or event.

Have your hair blown out at your new salon before a date night or before a big event.

Most women I know who look put together spend a fair amount of time to do it.

Styling hair alone takes most white women about an hour, if they don't put their hair up in a ponytail.

Men - if you see a white woman with stick straight hair vs frizzy or curly hair, it means she spent at least an hour straightening it.

As for the makeup, you don't need more than 5 minutes if all you're putting on is mascara and lip gloss. But most people need a lot more than that to look good. Most people have horrible skin, so their makeup routine takes at least a half an hour, an hour isn't really unheard of. (Evening skin alone requires coverup, foundation, highlighter, bronzer, blush, etc..)

It doesn't necessarily take this long. I spend an hour every morning getting ready including shower, hair and makeup. If I didn't style my hair or put on makeup it would take 30 minutes. I do spend more time for an event or date night

An hour is a long time for some people, and you just mentioned you spend even more time for an event or date night.

I used to have a friend (no longer friends - she was too high maintenance) who spent 1-2 hours every day to get ready. More on the 2 hour side actually for most days, and 3 hours + for nights out.

She used to bemoan the fact that she didn't have time for either grad school or the gym. She was only interested in improving herself in a superficial manner. She was unhealthy, underemployed, and underpaid. I think that was one of the reasons she had a hard time attracting good men, the only ones interested in her were similarly minded douche bags.

[Anonymous]

Kind of like this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is this romanticizing of the South? You think everyone looks like sorority girls wearing dresses to SEC football games?

Large portions of the South have struggling schools and high unemployment/underemployment. So you're going to see plenty of frumpy people with muffin tops wearing too-tight Hollister t-shirts and shitty flip-flops. Just like anywhere else.

+1

Also, pssst... DC is in the south.

+1

[Anonymous]

#beautygoals

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
#beautygoals

Lily Pulitzer just vomited on my screen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
#beautygoals

Those dresses ruined the color settings on my monitor. MY EYES!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kind of like this?

No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If Kate can do it, we can too!

so we're comparing a non-professional photo of a bunch of young women hanging around a shitty dorm room to a posed, professional sorority photo?

[Anonymous]

We all have to spend a little time in the morning to be presentable for work (agree with PP who said to do otherwise is to sabotage yourself). The difference is the mindset and the amount of time and money spent. Smart northerners do the bare minimum. Southerners of the type we're talking about spend 1-2 hours per day on hair/makeup. That is insane unless you consider your body your only/most important asset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
#beautygoals

Those dresses ruined the color settings on my monitor. MY EYES!

+1

How to unsee this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We all have to spend a little time in the morning to be presentable for work (agree with PP who said to do otherwise is to sabotage yourself). The difference is the mindset and the amount of time and money spent. Smart northerners do the bare minimum. Southerners of the type we're talking about spend 1-2 hours per day on hair/makeup. That is insane unless you consider your body your only/most important asset.

THIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in SC for a few years and picked up some of the style. I really love bright colors and easy fashion. It really doesn't take much effort. Cute, comfortable skirts. Wear prints. Natural makeup (doesn't have to be heavy!). It really is just a few easy tweaks.

Dressing like that in DC is a fast way to get yourself categorized as dumb and not serious at work. It doesn't translate to this city's culture -- which, let's face it, contains elements of the northeast and has a big delegation of frumpy-but-super-intelligent people who disdain southern fashion. It's important to know your audience. This isn't South Carolina, which, bless its heart, will never be the nerve center of the US.