Every Monday night I turn into a mindless zombie and tune in to The Bachelor on ABC. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected any better, but this year’s Bachelor said something a few episodes back that irked me. He walked into the room of women he’s dating and woke them all up at 4 in the morning. Their first reaction is to squeal and hide their retainers, and then it cuts away to the Bachelor nobly declaring to the camera that he thinks the girls look more beautiful without makeup. Cue the swooning from every couch in America.
But beyond this somehow romantic statement is some thinly veiled sexism — that women wear makeup to appear more attractive to men, and that men like women who are “not like the other girls” who wear makeup. It’s a catch-22: either you wear makeup and you’re high maintenance, or you don’t wear makeup and your appearance is judged. And this isn’t the only issue. Makeup has long been seen as a problem for feminists. Commercials for beauty products, the pressure to wear it or not wear it, the opinions of others on your beauty style — all of these can be problematic for feminists. But I consider myself a feminist, and I am obsessed with makeup. It’s called “Lipstick Feminism,” and it’s a faction of third-wave feminism that seeks to embrace typically feminine concepts, including sexuality and makeup. So here it is: the case for how makeup can be seen as feminist.
First, the decision whether or not to wear makeup is feminist. You’re deciding what to do with your own body. And boys, here’s some advice for you: if we do decide to wear makeup, we aren’t wearing it for you. We’re wearing it for us. And we don’t really care for your opinions about it. Feel free to throw that in our faces the next time we tell you to tuck your shirt in.
Putting on makeup in the morning is “me” time, and it’s a rebellious act. We are told over and over again that we aren’t pretty enough, and for half an hour every morning I get to sit in front of a mirror, look at myself, and think “screw that!” I get to accentuate my best features, feel better about my worst, and make my face into art. I get to spend time with just me and a mirror and feel good about myself — that feels revolutionary.
Youtuber My Pale Skin posted a video a while ago called “You Look Disgusting.” She had posted some pictures of herself on social media wearing no makeup and revealed her acne. Over the course of 3 months, over 100,000 people commented on her face.
The comments were cruel: “I can’t even look at her.” “WTF is wrong with her face?” “Her face is so ugly.” “You look disgusting.” The video then shows her applying makeup, and the comments change: “You look beautiful!” “You’re so cute.” “I love your makeup.” And then the comments change again: “You wear too much makeup.” “This is false advertising.” “This is why I have trust issues.” “Trust no f*cking b*tch with makeup.”
As she removes her makeup, the comments change one last time to reflect the people who have acne: “Why is this happening to me?” “Makeup is my saviour.” “I get bullied because of my skin.” “I’m learning to love myself.”
It can sometimes feel like we can’t win, until we realize that it doesn’t matter what other people think — it’s about how we feel about our choices.
And the same goes for men. There are men out there who want to wear makeup and who wish that it was more socially acceptable. But in the words of makeup artist Jaclyn Hill, “You do you boo, and screw the rest!” If you want to wear makeup, it doesn’t matter where you fall on the gender spectrum. Do what feels right for you and own it! Manny Mua is an awesome Youtuber and self-proclaimed “boy beauty blogger” who proves that anyone can wear makeup if they want to.
People who wear makeup are not vain or obsessed with their looks. It’s something that makes them feel good, and no one should judge them for that. No one is better or worse than anyone else because they do or don’t wear makeup. You do you, boo!