The Real Reason Women Wear Makeup
I’m a hypocrite. I loathe makeup, and will even vocally denounce it, but in public I still put it on. Why? It’s because it comforts me, makes me feel more confident, and reassures me that I look presentable. I think the fashion industry and media want you to believe that makeup is an enhancement, but I think the real reason women wear makeup is … let’s hear someone else first:
Why do women wear makeup?
“They might wear it because they want to hide unattractive features, or they might wear it because of societal pressures. Keep in mind that pretty has become the new average, which can be viewed as good or bad. It may not give you such an accurate picture of the woman’s true condition, but it allows more men to become involved with beautiful women.” -Alex
Close! Fear of being the only one in a room without makeup. Fear of being singled out. Fear of being exposed. The last thing a woman wants is to solely be judged for their outward appearance, or even worse be compared to other women who are wearing make up. But we women know that this happens, so we continue to spread on foundation, apply powder, use eyeliner, and incessantly refresh our lip-gloss.
To women who say wearing makeup is a choice, I say you’re drinking your own kool-aid. If a woman is made to feel inadequate for not wearing makeup, of course she chooses to put it on! I find men to be especially guilty of this argument - no one really judges them for going out looking like they rolled out of bed. Whatever choices they make are accepted and even celebrated. One even gets a good chuckle out of it
When women choose not to wear makeup, they’re thought of as misfits of society, anarchists, or man hating shrews.
Celebrities without makeup?
Or in the case of female celebrities, they are turned into mockeries. The paparazzi catch them in situations when they’re unadorned, and then parade those pictures in publications across newsstands and blogs all over the internet. Headlines and captions scream out how frightening they look without their professional stylists and makeup artists working on their faces. The supposedly most beautiful women in the world turn out to be nothing but painted on faces that don’t really exist in the real world.
And guess who reads those magazines and develop a poor sense of self-worth? Young girls. Young girls who then are taught that the last thing they want to happen is to be caught without their best face on; to keep searching and trying on all sorts of skin care products. And thus the cycle begins again.
Yes, makeup up has existed for thousands of years. But we need to look at society today to really expose the reasons why women wear makeup. Until we tear down this construct and take back the choice of putting on make up, we will still be doing it out of fear.
