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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whey is it a burden or oppressive? It is fun, it's make me feel good and I love it. Same with the close. It's not jst about being neat and clean, it is about being a woman.

A narrow definition of being a woman.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is clothing in general oppressive then?

Not keens and unironed khakis and ill-fitting Oxford shirts which gape open and display your dingy bra.

Now thats just silly.

She wouldn't be wearing a bra.

Hee hee, snort.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if I'd call it oppressive, but it's absolutely true that in cultures where women have less power, they wear more makeup. Women in highly patriarchal societies (and parts of the U.S.) are more likely to wear much more makeup. It becomes one more way women compete to snag a man, in order to establish social status. Some examples: the Bible Belt south, Italy, Mexico, Japan. Some examples of more egalitarian and less made up places: liberal arts colleges, Scandinavia, Canada, blue states in general.

I guess the continent of Africa kind of throws your theory out the window.

Yeah, they have to have their clitorises removed to be considered marriageable. not oppressive at all. Just substitute whatever body modification you wish - foot binding, plastic surgery, corsets, makeup, high heels, the thighmaster, and so on --women having to undergo painful or uncomfortable or time consuming procedures or fashions to be atttractive. seriously people, this is anthropology 101

Anonymous wrote:Whey is it a burden or oppressive? It is fun, it's make me feel good and I love it. Same with the close. It's not jst about being neat and clean, it is about being a woman.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

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 few 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.

Of course not. You're just telling a group of grown women that they cannot possibly have independent thoughts, that society does our thinking for us. You understand that you're sharing the same argument as the trans-vaginal anti-choice men? So... shut up. I look very nice without makeup, but I look amazing with it. And that's my very own thought.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if I'd call it oppressive, but it's absolutely true that in cultures where women have less power, they wear more makeup. Women in highly patriarchal societies (and parts of the U.S.) are more likely to wear much more makeup. It becomes one more way women compete to snag a man, in order to establish social status. Some examples: the Bible Belt south, Italy, Mexico, Japan. Some examples of more egalitarian and less made up places: liberal arts colleges, Scandinavia, Canada, blue states in general.

I guess the continent of Africa kind of throws your theory out the window.

Yeah, they have to have their clitorises removed to be considered marriageable. not oppressive at all. Just substitute whatever body modification you wish - foot binding, plastic surgery, corsets, makeup, high heels, the thighmaster, and so on --women having to undergo painful or uncomfortable or time consuming procedures or fashions to be atttractive. seriously people, this is anthropology 101

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?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if I'd call it oppressive, but it's absolutely true that in cultures where women have less power, they wear more makeup. Women in highly patriarchal societies (and parts of the U.S.) are more likely to wear much more makeup. It becomes one more way women compete to snag a man, in order to establish social status. Some examples: the Bible Belt south, Italy, Mexico, Japan. Some examples of more egalitarian and less made up places: liberal arts colleges, Scandinavia, Canada, blue states in general.

I guess the continent of Africa kind of throws your theory out the window.