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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The older I get, the less I care about what "society" is telling me I should or shouldn't be doing. I wear makeup to work or when going out at night for ME.  Not because others think I should or because society is telling me I should.  I like makeup.  Always have.  I like the way I look in makeup.  On the weekends, however, I don't wear any (again, unless I'm going to out dinner or for drinks).

I wear heels or wedges because I like them.  I like they way they make my legs look.  I like feeling taller, too.  But that doesn't mean I wear them 24/7 or that I feel pressured into wearing them.  Ilike flats and sneakers, too.

I also work out because I want to be healthy and strong.  Not because society is telling me I need to be a certain size.  I like the way I feel after I work out.  And yes, it's nice that it keeps the lbs at bay as I get older, but that's not the primary reason I do it.  
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That's all well and good, but the reason you like the way you look in makeup or the way your legs look in heels is because you have been conditioned to think you look better that way. That's what people mean when they say that "society" tells you you should do it. Nobody shaves their legs or waxes their eyebrows because it's more comfortable--they do it because they've been conditioned for years to accept that this the way women should look.

Of course, working out to feel strong and healthy is wonderful--I think we can all agree on that. But the fact that you even mentioned "keep the lbs at bay" means that you also feel the social pressure not to gain weight as you get older, even though any good doctor would tell you it is normal and even healthy to carry a [b]few [/b]more pounds as we age.

Not trying to start a big fight here, but I do think it's worthwhile to continually examine our beauty standards and how they keep women in a constant state of low-level anxiety about their appearance. [/quote]

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