Is makeup oppressive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only reason I feel oppressed is because I have a (female) boss who says to me - quite often - "You look pretty today, what's the matter with you?"

If a male boss said that he'd be (rightfully) accused of harassment.

She is harassing you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By the way, there are more than one of us playing devil's advocate in here. Full disclosure, I dye my gray hair and wear some makeup, so I am a conformist at best. But seriously, anyone who can't see that women are wasting tons of time and money on completely manufactured problems like uneven skin tone, visible panty lines, thigh gap, flyaways, "fine lines", etc. is not being honest. The beauty and weight-loss "industries" are just that, businesses that profit from our anxieties about the way we look. And lashing out about someone who has armpit hair really makes you look superficial. I mean, what happened to being oneself and making your own decisions? That was fine for the woman who felt great putting on lots of makeup and wearing high heels.

I don't know any woman who actually wastes her time worrying about that much crap. More, do I look good? end of list. I hate my big boobs and wide feet, but that's because finding decent bras and shoes is expensive and not fun, not because society tells me I should have normal sized boobs and dainty feet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make-up doesn't necessarily mean that a woman is trying to cover up her face. (Unless she wears a ton of it like a clown!)

Make-up simply when done correctly, enhances one's own natural beauty.
It shows other people that you care about your physical appearance so much that you are willing to take the extra time and effort to be your best.

And in the professional world, a woman made up looks pretty + polished.

Nn e of this is true. If it were, .men word wear make up too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, there are more than one of us playing devil's advocate in here. Full disclosure, I dye my gray hair and wear some makeup, so I am a conformist at best. But seriously, anyone who can't see that women are wasting tons of time and money on completely manufactured problems like uneven skin tone, visible panty lines, thigh gap, flyaways, "fine lines", etc. is not being honest. The beauty and weight-loss "industries" are just that, businesses that profit from our anxieties about the way we look. And lashing out about someone who has armpit hair really makes you look superficial. I mean, what happened to being oneself and making your own decisions? That was fine for the woman who felt great putting on lots of makeup and wearing high heels.

I don't know any woman who actually wastes her time worrying about that much crap. More, do I look good? end of list. I hate my big boobs and wide feet, but that's because finding decent bras and shoes is expensive and not fun, not because society tells me I should have normal sized boobs and dainty feet.

Are you under a rock? Of course women worry about these things. The fact that you claim you dont doesn't change the experience and existence of millions of other women and businesses aimed directly at those insecurities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone with bad skin, makeup allows me to walk out of the house in the morning feeling good about myself. I feel bad for men with bad skin who aren't allowed to do anything about it.

"Bad" skin - another social construct.

Gosh I never thought of it that way. I feel so much better about myself now that I realize the giant inflammed cyst on my chin and the small zits I get on my forehead and jaw every month the week before my period like clockwork are just a manifestation of Societal Pressure and The Patriarchy keeping me down and not at all due to genetics, hormonal imbalance, and my unique body chemistry. Thanks to you I no longer need to waste my hard earned money on the regime my dermatologist prescribed. She's obviously a shill for the Industrial Beauty Machine and doesn't give a crap about my wellness. I feel free for the first time in my life!

[Anonymous]

I like the same women who argue women should not "have"not wear a burka also are arguing it's their choice to cover themselves in makeup.

Irony?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the same women who argue women should not "have"not wear a burka also are arguing it's their choice to cover themselves in makeup.

Irony?

It's cute you think you're making a point, or that there's any similarity between a burka (did you get confused as to what that is?) and makeup. If I choose not to wear makeup, not a big deal. If I don't wear a burka in Afghanstan, or cover myself appropriately in Saudi Arabia, there are real consequences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, there are more than one of us playing devil's advocate in here. Full disclosure, I dye my gray hair and wear some makeup, so I am a conformist at best. But seriously, anyone who can't see that women are wasting tons of time and money on completely manufactured problems like uneven skin tone, visible panty lines, thigh gap, flyaways, "fine lines", etc. is not being honest. The beauty and weight-loss "industries" are just that, businesses that profit from our anxieties about the way we look. And lashing out about someone who has armpit hair really makes you look superficial. I mean, what happened to being oneself and making your own decisions? That was fine for the woman who felt great putting on lots of makeup and wearing high heels.

I don't know any woman who actually wastes her time worrying about that much crap. More, do I look good? end of list. I hate my big boobs and wide feet, but that's because finding decent bras and shoes is expensive and not fun, not because society tells me I should have normal sized boobs and dainty feet.

Are you under a rock? Of course women worry about these things. The fact that you claim you dont doesn't change the experience and existence of millions of other women and businesses aimed directly at those insecurities

I can't help you if you worry about thigh gap after about age 22. Or if you really invest a lot of time in thinking about VPL or flyaway hairs or uneven skin tone, let alone all of them. I'm saying women worry about their "things" and beyond that, nothing. You're describing crippling social anxiety, not reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Makeup is fun. That's all.

Except that it isn't all, because women who choose not to wear makeup are penalized for that choice by society.

I don't wear makeup. Can you please tell me how society penalizes me? I would love to know more about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if I would use the "oppression," but, yes. I think the societal pressures on women with regards to fashion, weight, and makeup represent an undue burden that men don't have. Imagine if we could keep all the time and money we are spending on lotions, creams, magazines, spin classes, plastic surgery, lipsticks, teeth whitening, high heels, and pantyhose for ourselves! Imagine if pre-teen girls weren't already thinking that their thighs were gross and dreaming of the day when they're old enough to get a boob job. Imagine if a woman were judged on her merits and not on how closely she adheres to society's preconceived notions of what she should look like. Beauty standards are like a prison that we all elect to live in.

Just my opinion. Wax on.

+1 I think "oppressive" is the wrong word choice. But it's undeniable that, at least in the workplace, there is a different expectation for women than for men. No one ever says a man isn't "put together" because he doesn't have mascara on or the skin tone of his face isn't even. A man is considered put together if he is clean, groomed (by "groomed," I mean just in general), and dressed according to the professional standards (i.e., not wearing flip flops and a wife beater). But a woman can wear a suit, be clean, washed, and tidy, but if she isn't wearing any makeup or keeps her hair simple, she's considered, as one PP notes, "homely" and not put together.

Sadly, though, I actually don't think the pressure to wear makeup comes from men. It comes from other women. They are the ones who primarily judge other women for being homely or plain.

[Anonymous]

I rarely wear it. Sometimes a little lip tint. Less often, mascara. I can count on one hand the number of times I've worn the full thing. Maybe that's why I don't feel oppressed? I'm AA and it seems that a bare faced natural look is more accepted in my community --although most AAs I know from the South habitually wear makeup.

I love nail polish and heels. Nothing garish and no designs on my nails. My highest heels are 3 inches --a pair for formals and a pair of wedges for cruise or resort dinners. My doctor says they are bad for my feet, but I feel sad in flats. The laws of physics and anatomy are oppressing me.

My older daughter works in a retail setting where there is not only a pricey dress code, but the women are expected to wear makeup and have clear "done" hair. She is transitioning from there to a career in the media. We spend a lot of the dermatologist and quality makeup. I feel this oppresses my bank account, but she's super girly and enjoys it.

[Anonymous]

Have you seen the infomercial abt the problem of crepey skin? Wtf? Also known as normal aging?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Makeup is fun. That's all.

Except that it isn't all, because women who choose not to wear makeup are penalized for that choice by society.

I don't wear makeup. Can you please tell me how society penalizes me? I would love to know more about that.

This is often career dependent. However, you are constantly being judged by store employees, real estate agents, car salesmen, school admissions officers, etc. and are likely to pay an invisible tax depending on how they feel about makeup. It can work in your favor though. Our society favors youth. Makeup ages some women. I look easily a decade younger due to genetics and younger still when next to similar aged friends wearing makeup.

[Anonymous]

My DD reports to me, with scorn, about lifting community sites on Tumblr. They post pictures of their "hauls," and makeup figures prominently.

The lifters often justify stealing make up by saying there is so much societal pressure for women to look good that makeup should be much cheaper than it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Makeup is fun. That's all.

Except that it isn't all, because women who choose not to wear makeup are penalized for that choice by society.

I don't wear makeup. Can you please tell me how society penalizes me? I would love to know more about that.

This is often career dependent. However, you are constantly being judged by store employees, real estate agents, car salesmen, school admissions officers, etc. and are likely to pay an invisible tax depending on how they feel about makeup. It can work in your favor though. Our society favors youth. Makeup ages some women. I look easily a decade younger due to genetics and younger still when next to similar aged friends wearing makeup.

i think in most professions women can get away without makeup. Plenty of people in my professional office don't. I don't mind wearing makeup because it takes me less than 5 minutes to throw it on during the workweek and I don't wear it on weekends. What I think we'll look back on as the "foot binding" of our time is all of the depilation/shaving/lasering away of our body hair. if you think about it, it's kind of a weird pedophile thing to shave your legs, underarms and bikini area (esp the brazilian) because it's making you look prepubescent. (read lolita and you'll see what I mean.) And it takes a hell of a lot of effort and time, and in my opinion doesn't really make you look "better" like make up can - i.e. clear skin, brighter eyes, etc. But I sheepishly do it because there is no way I can show up at work in my professional office with leg hair or at the neighborhood pool with full bush showing from my bathing suit without being a societal outcast. it sucks and is oppressive.