• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

27 Women on why they wear (or don't wear) makeup

Status
Not open for further replies.

Nekofrog

Banned
I rarely, and I mean RARELY wear make-up. I think I look just fine without it.

q0OkGnS.jpg

WHY ARENT YOU RUNNING AWAY
 

SmokyDave

Member
Their decision is altered by these factors. They're not robbed of all agency but like men their decisions are not 100% influenced by them alone. It's the same with all styles. Do you truly believe that almost all women decided on their own to wear dresses and almost all men decided against wearing dresses? We're not robbing anyone of their agency. We're saying this does exist and it's not wrong to live within it or out of it but that it exists and is something to think about.
I don't truly believe anything on this subject because I find the nature vs nurture aspects are far beyond my understanding. It's like asking me why someone has blue as their favourite colour. Hell, I don't even know how I chose my favourite colour, let alone the next man. Was it innate? Did I see a lot of cool green things as a baby? I have no fucking idea.

Why do some people follow fashion trends, and others don't? Of those that follow trends, why do they follow some and not others?

Edit: also, I know you're not robbing anyone of their agency. That was my whole point!
 

kirblar

Member
However, I'll say this, I refuse to have my photos taken of me without make up on. I'm horribly anti-photogenic and make-up just happens to alleviate that. It doesn't help that I have hereditary raccoon eyes. :\
I feel your pain re: raccoon eyes. :(
 

Cooper

Member
I think it goes/can go earlier than that. Girls usually pick up on a lot of habits from their mothers already. A few year old girl sees her mother putting on make-up and the next day they are at their mother's make-up drawer/purse/whatever plastering their face with thick layers of make-up.

I'm the mother of a 4.5 year old daughter (and 3 year old son). My daughter really loves putting on make-up, so I've been thinking about this subject and how she became such a fan of the stuff. I personally wear no make-up at all, since I find it to be a hassle and hate the way it feels. So clearly my daughter's fondness isn't from watching me. I personally can think of two reasons why she might like it so much.

1. Like most kids, she loves drawing and painting in general. Make-up at her age is a fun excuse to paint her face with bright colors.

2. A while ago we downloaded some iPad games/apps, and one of them lets you put make-up on cartooney girls, as well as style their hair and change a few outfits. She plays with this app quite a bit.

I'll be curious to see if her enjoyment of make-up continues as she gets older, or if it's just another phase she goes through.
 

Sketchbag

Banned
I don't truly believe anything on this subject because I find the nature vs nurture aspects are far beyond my understanding. It's like asking me why someone has blue as their favourite colour. Hell, I don't even know how I chose my favourite colour, let alone the next man. Was it innate? Did I see a lot of cool green things as a baby? I have no fucking idea.

Why do some people follow fashion trends, and others don't? Of those that follow trends, why do they follow some and not others?

Some people follow fashion trends because to not follow fashion trends is a trend. Look at the punk movement. It is a movement about counter culture but it is in itself a culture. People segregate off to where they feel comfortable due to past experiences.
 

Visceir

Member
Biology and science~

The Science of makeup

Studies have shown that women’s faces are more attractive to both sexes during the fertile phase of their menstrual cycle. Makeup works because it exaggerates or even completely fabricates these signs of fertility and sexual availability, thus making a woman seem more appealing.

Those ancient Egyptians were on to something with the eye makeup, for example. Women, in contrast with men, tend to be naturally darker around their eyes. Eyeliner, eye shadow and mascara all enhance this effect, thus making a face look more feminine. Studies by Richard Russell at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania have shown that the darker the eyes are in relation to the rest of the face, the more attractive a woman appears, while the opposite is true for men.

As with eyes, Russell found that women have darker mouths than men of the same skin tone. Manipulating lips to be darker than the rest of a woman’s face makes it appear more feminine

Attractive people have it easier in life and makeup is one of the tools that can be used to achieve that.
 

Chumly

Member
Relevant -
Lady-Problems-by-Alexandra-Dal.png
Pretty much.

Many of the same gaffers claiming how the love women without makeup would take one look at someone without great skin and be posting "would not hit" or 1/10. Some women can pull off no makeup great. Others not so much.
 

Azulsky

Member
I think the only time a girl looks 'poorer' without makeup is when she is accustomed to wearing makeup and that first few days sans makeup the skin is readjusting.

All the anti-makeup examples had well adjusted skin.

I guess you ladies must get it down to a quick routine, I abhor my 10 minute shave routine, cant imagine doing more than that. Plus how you avoid stabbing your eyes while driving and putting eyeliner on is a superpower.

Do what makes you happy.
 

Breakage

Member
Please explain why you feel such.

Most forms of makeup are designed to conceal and modify (perceived) imperfections. My point is a person who wears makeup aims to alter features on their face in order to give the appearance that things are fuller, richer in colour, longer and smoother than they actually are. Regardless of whether someone looks better or worse the end result is a false representation of what the person wearing makeup naturally looks like. This is what the cosmetics industry is all about -- hiding and modifying supposed natural imperfections to produce a misleading, flawless end result.

The concept of the 'natural (makeup) look' further highlights this, imo. Make up that is subtly applied in such a way that the wearer is often mistaken for being makeup free and naturally bears the particular features that have been enhanced.


So are clothes


Be free

Clothes can be deceptive, but it doesn't happen often and they rarely alter your natural features.

Bras are a form of deception.

Yeah, if we're talking about push up bras then I'd agree.
 
Well the natural mode for women is to lie and deceive so from a evolutionary psychology perspective it's the opposite of deception.

I'm going to assume this is sarcasm from you, but I'd bet a lot that some men would say this in all seriousness, in which case:

No, no, also, no. Don't use evolutionary psychology to support your misogyny.

Somebody doesn't know a lot about bras.

Indeed, a 25+(?) and/or after kid woman with perky tits is one who is wearing a bra that would be considered a push up bra. With padding. Seriously why does nearly every bra have padding? 36D and my bras have to have padding?
 

Infinite

Member
Most forms of makeup are designed to conceal and modify (perceived) imperfections. My point is a person who wears makeup aims to alter features on their face in order to give the appearance that things are fuller, richer in colour, longer and smoother than they actually are. Regardless of whether someone looks better or worse the end result is a false representation of what the person wearing makeup naturally looks like. This is what the cosmetics industry is all about -- hiding and modifying supposed natural imperfections to produce a misleading, flawless end result.

The concept of the 'natural (makeup) look' further highlights this, imo. Make up that is subtly applied in such a way that the wearer is often mistaken for being makeup free and naturally bears the particular features that have been enhanced.




Clothes can be deceptive, but it doesn't happen often and they rarely alter your natural features.



Yeah, if we're talking about push up bras then I'd agree.

literally anything you can do to your appearance can be seen as deception then following that logic. Also when you invoke the word "deception" you're introducing morality to your the argument. In other words you're saying it's morally wrong to alter your appearance because it is deceptive. That's an asinine stance to take.

To call people deceptive for using makeup but not calling out the societal standards that makes people feel like they have to wear it to begin with and the industry that makes billions off of it and have no problem perpetuating those standards is backwards.

Lastly I never been deceived by anyone wearing blue eye shadow and blue lipstick because I know that shit straight up isn't possible.
 
literally anything you can do to your appearance can be seen as deception then following that logic. Also when you invoke the word "deception" you're introducing morality to your the argument. In other words you're saying it's morally wrong to alter your appearance because it is deceptive. That's an asinine stance to take.

To call people deceptive for using makeup but not calling out the societal standards that makes people feel like they have to wear it to begin with and the industry that makes billions off of it and have no problem perpetuating those standards is backwards.

Lastly I never been deceived by anyone wearing blue eye shadow and blue lipstick because I know that shit straight up isn't possible.
Yeah, especially when it comes to bras. I mean, jeez.
 
I'm a measly 34A :(

I wish I was smaller, I was a 34B before my son came along. It's not all it's cracked up to be, sometimes I get them caught in things (shut up it's a thing), and lying flat on my back, they slide up and I start to slowly suffocate. They're also heavy.

Plus: You can walk around with no bra, and less men start at you for wearing a comfortable low cut shirt.
 
I wish I was smaller, I was a 34B before my son came along. It's not all it's cracked up to be, sometimes I get them caught in things (shut up it's a thing), and lying flat on my back, they slide up and I start to slowly suffocate. They're also heavy.

Plus: You can walk around with no bra, and less men start at you for wearing a comfortable low cut shirt.
I'd be happy if I was a B.
 

Sàmban

Banned
So the first reason is interesting to me: "I'm a grown woman and I can do whatever I want." This is similar to many others: "Because I like it," for instance.

On a superficial level, this argument seems difficult to argue against, but I think a more probing analysis might say otherwise. Most importantly: well, why does that woman want to do what she wants to do? Why does the woman like it?

Do she/we think she wants to wear makeup because that's just who she is? Or do we think that her desire to wear makeup is influenced by external forces outside her control -- some of which may be insidious?

As a more extreme example to clarify the concept: imagine a 1950s housewife. A huge number of these women were perfectly happy being housewives. The question we might ask, then, is why was that the case? Did it just happen to be true that a lot more women at that time wanted to be domestic than there are presently? I think a reasonable person could argue that many of these women were influenced by society in such a way that they viewed domestic life as their "proper" place, without ever being aware that they were being influenced in this fashion. They did prefer to be domestic, but those preferences did not spring out of thin air, and were not created by their brains alone (or even created by their brains primarily).

Similarly, the notion that women just want to wear makeup because that's who they are is a suspect notion. How did they get to be "who they are?" How did they end up liking the things they like?

So much better than I could say it.
 
Cosmetics have been used by men and women for millennia with passing fashion trends, to accentuate features or denote social standing. The cosmetics themselves aren't some inherently misogynistic invention.

That being said, women shouldn't be expected or pressured to wear makeup under any circumstances. However, if wearing makeup makes a women feel more confident about her appearance, she should be able to wear it without being judged.
 

Famassu

Member
I'm the mother of a 4.5 year old daughter (and 3 year old son). My daughter really loves putting on make-up, so I've been thinking about this subject and how she became such a fan of the stuff. I personally wear no make-up at all, since I find it to be a hassle and hate the way it feels. So clearly my daughter's fondness isn't from watching me. I personally can think of two reasons why she might like it so much.

1. Like most kids, she loves drawing and painting in general. Make-up at her age is a fun excuse to paint her face with bright colors.

2. A while ago we downloaded some iPad games/apps, and one of them lets you put make-up on cartooney girls, as well as style their hair and change a few outfits. She plays with this app quite a bit.

I'll be curious to see if her enjoyment of make-up continues as she gets older, or if it's just another phase she goes through.
Of course the source of inspiration can be someone else than their mother and yeah, kids (boys & girls) often love facepaintings so they might find it fun if they can mess their faces no matter if it's facepaint or make-up. It can be an older sister, an aunt, a female friend of the family or, like possibly in your case, a game where make-up is applied.

The point being, the source for girls thinking make-up is normal can be in their first few years already, when they don't even have a clear concept or understanding of what make-up is and why on Earth adults do that to their faces (other than maybe "painting my face with all kinds of colours is fun!"), but seeing it and maybe even doing it, even if it's at such a young age, does kind of normalize it for them, so there's not all that much resistance for most/a lot of people to start using make-up when they "get to that age."

It doesn't have to be the most popular girl of the school coming to a girl with no make-up being all "yo, biyatch, wear some make-up on ya ugly face" that "forces" a girl to start wearing make-up or make them think that it's just something women do when they get to a certain age. It can trigger it, but the girl might've started using make-up at some point voluntarily once they were old enough to care about stuff like that, peer pressure can just speed up the process.

There's just usually this age (usually around puberty/becoming a teenager) where children start to think (even) more about their appearances. I find usually clothes & hair can be pretty important from early on (i.e. not standing out in class with vastly different kind of hairstyles or clothing to not get teased), less so accessories & make-up, which come a bit later on.

From what I've observed & read, puberty is the point when they maybe start make the choice of using or not using it themselves. They are going through a lot of changes in their body, maturing up fast, getting interested in their classmates as more than friends & acne can also be a factor (i.e. it can be seen as embarassing/ugly and girls can & want to hide it with make-up), and all of that can kind of trigger the want to alter your appearance with make-up, colouring your hair etc.
 

meow

Member
Took too long reading through the replies here, so I'll just leave a quick post. I like wearing makeup, honestly I think every person can look better with makeup, even if a little. That doesn't mean I don't think many people look perfectly fine or lovely without it.

I'm in law school and the women have been actively encouraged to wear makeup to work, as it helps you look "more put together." That said, one of my roommates basically never wears makeup and she does fine.
 
Yay for women who wants to wear make-up! Yay for other women who doesnt want to!

Yaaaaaaaaaaay for women for having a choice maybe on Monday not to wear make-up and on Tuesday to wear some!

YAY CHOICE






Personally, I dont wear any. Cuz grew up with a stay-at-home dad and he had no clue about teaching me stuffs. Thanks to that I also don't wash my hair with shampoo very often (once every 4 months, if any). Would like to learn how to properly wear some make-up though. For ~occasions~ <3
 

Breakage

Member
literally anything you can do to your appearance can be seen as deception then following that logic. Also when you invoke the word "deception" you're introducing morality to your the argument. In other words you're saying it's morally wrong to alter your appearance because it is deceptive. That's an asinine stance to take.


My use of the word "deception" was in relation to makeup. If the use of makeup isn't inherently rooted in deception then explain the natural makeup look. Look at how many people have been fooled into thinking a chick has no makeup on when she's subtly covered in it. Why does this particular form of makeup application exist? Is it not designed to fool people into thinking that the wearer has naturally smooth skin, perfectly sculputed brows etc. when such features have actually been enhanced by a cosmetic product.


To call people deceptive for using makeup but not calling out the societal standards that makes people feel like they have to wear it to begin with and the industry that makes billions off of it and have no problem perpetuating those standards is backwards.

Lastly I never been deceived by anyone wearing blue eye shadow and blue lipstick because I know that shit straight up isn't possible.

You complain about the industry and societal standards that reinforce perceptions about beauty and yet you seem offended by my comments on the use of makeup. I don't get that.
No one is forced to wear it and if people keep associating the use of cosmetic products with things like confidence, happiness and notions of beauty then those societal standards and the industry that makes billions will remain.
 
My wife didn't wear makeup when we first started dating, and didn't for a long time while we were dating. Her mom doesn't wear it and I think she felt like she didn't want to be judged on how her makeup looked.

She started using it a couple years ago and seems to enjoy it now, and has gone from using very subtle makeup to more dramatic colors. It's been interesting. I'm happy for whatever makes her happy and feel good, though.
 
If that's what you've gathered about feminism/feminists, you're mistaken.

The key factor in the feminist movement is to give women a CHOICE. This means giving women the freedom to make choices and not be judged for it. Whereas in the 50's every woman was expected to become a housewife and that was it, feminism is fighting so that we can pursue education or be stay at home wives if we please~ if that makes us happy.

Feminism, again, is about giving women freedom of choice. This topic here is a feminist movement. Women who chose to wear or not wear makeup are both right and happy, and that's what feminism wants. To give women a voice and opportunities.

Huh?
Based on your reply I think you misread or misunderstood my post entirely.
What you posted mirrored my point about people's right to individual choice. Besides just so we are clear I wasn't painting all feminists with the same brush, just the ones that dictate what other women should do. Those types I don't consider true feminists anyway.

When have feminists told other women what to do? Feminism is about given women choice. Some women like wearing make up, others do not but no one is forced to do one over the other especially when they do not wish to do so.

My mother was very much involved in the women's rights movement and activism throughout the 70s-90s and I was raised going to rallies and meetings my whole life. I have on many occasions witnessed groups of militant feminists dictate what women should and shouldn't do, wear, say, date, ect ect, all in the name of empowerment. I have heard many heated arguments about women wearing makeup, shaving, dressing up or even working out.
 

Yeul

Member
I like wearing makeup but I also love the feeling of taking it off after a long day. It's literally like MY SKIN CAN BREATHE. But yeah it's fun to get ready with friends when we go out and it's nice for pictures and it makes me feel better about myself so I don't see the problem lol.
 

Infinite

Member
My use of the word "deception" was in relation to makeup. If the use of makeup isn't inherently rooted in deception then explain the natural makeup look. Look at how many people have been fooled into thinking a chick has no makeup on when she's subtly covered in it. Why does this particular form of makeup application exist? Is it not designed to fool people into thinking that the wearer has naturally smooth skin, perfectly sculputed brows etc. when such features have actually been enhanced by a cosmetic product.

Makeup is literally an art form. Some people wear make up because they want to. If someone has a scar and uses make up to cover it to feel more comfortable what right do you have to say they're being deceptive? You're operating under the assumption that makeup exists strictly for the appeasement of others and thus why you feel it's trickery. No one is tricking anyone into dating them by simply wearing makeup, dude.

You complain about the industry and societal standards that reinforce perceptions about beauty and yet you seem offended by my comments on the use of makeup. I don't get that.
No one is forced to wear it and if people keep associating the use of cosmetic products with things like confidence, happiness and notions of beauty then those societal standards and the industry that makes billions will remain.

You misunderstand. I'm not making a complaint here I'm just calling out how silly you sound by saying individuals who partake in beauty culture are being deceptive but you don't see that this is a billion dollar industry which preys upon people's insecurities and creates more reasons for people to feel insecure to sell more products to them. You can wear makeup for you and also take note the problematic aspects of the industry. That doesn't make me hypocrite.
 

Opiate

Member
Their decision is altered by these factors. They're not robbed of all agency but like men their decisions are not 100% influenced by them alone. It's the same with all styles. Do you truly believe that almost all women decided on their own to wear dresses and almost all men decided against wearing dresses? We're not robbing anyone of their agency. We're saying this does exist and it's not wrong to live within it or out of it but that it exists and is something to think about.

Well, it runs in to a different problem, particularly in the US: people like the concept of freedom, we have a strong independent streak, and we like to think of our choices as our own. Despite claims to the contrary, both sides of the political spectrum have this in common.

Suggesting that people don't make their own choices rubs a lot of people the wrong way, and is particularly sensitive in a situation like this, because women have fought so hard to be seen as independent, intelligent people who are just as capable as men (which they are). Suggesting that agency is limited is difficult to distinguish (again, in this context) from classical sexism. Just to make it clear: I think agency is limited for men and women. It isn't as if men in the US are born with a natural appreciation for NFL Football or Call of Duty.
 

totoro'd

Member
It's really easy to say "oh i don't wear makeup because i think i look better without it or i don't feel pressure to wear it" etc, but look up youtube videos with girls have horrible cystic acne and their makeup tutorials. I bet that if your skin looked similar to theirs, you would consider wearing makeup, if just to boost your self esteem. Here are a couple:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex33wtqnNz8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp5iy5JJqDA
So yes, it's very easy to say you don't have to wear makeup when you have decent skin and are under the age of 25. People commit suicide over having really bad skin issues.

There are many reasons people wear makeup: for themselves (to boost self esteem), societal pressure to appear "prettier", to look younger (covering up melasma/age spots/discoloration etc), to cover flaws in general.
Not sure what i'm adding to the discussion, just my .02
 
Well, it runs in to a different problem, particularly in the US: people like the concept of freedom, we have a strong independent streak, and we like to think of our choices as our own. Despite claims to the contrary, both sides of the political spectrum have this in common.

Suggesting that people don't make their own choices rubs a lot of people the wrong way, and is particularly sensitive in a situation like this, because women have fought so hard to be seen as independent, intelligent people who are just as capable as men (which they are). Suggesting that agency is limited is difficult to distinguish (again, in this context) from classical sexism. Just to make it clear: I think agency is limited for men and women. It isn't as if men in the US are born with a natural appreciation for NFL Football or Call of Duty.
I'm not sure this is a good example of limited agency. Just because things are marketed towards one gender over another, it doesn't mean that people of that gender like that thing specifically because it's been marketed towards them. (It's easier to find out what people like, then market it to them, rather than marketing something to make people like it).

I mean, you're not gonna make me like football no matter how much you market it to me.
 

.GqueB.

Banned
What's the discussion in here exactly? I try to follow along but the conversation threads are so confusing and hard to follow. There doesn't seem to be much to discuss here.
 

Opiate

Member
I'm not sure this is a good example of limited agency. Just because things are marketed towards one gender over another, it doesn't mean that people of that gender like that thing specifically because it's been marketed towards them. (It's easier to find out what people like, then market it to them, rather than marketing something to make people like it).

It's difficult to distinguish between these two superficially. I would say that neurological evidence suggests limited agency.

I mean, you're not gonna make me like football no matter how much you market it to me.

Sure, these aren't absolutes. Everyone is a combination of genetic and environmental influences.
 
It's difficult to distinguish between these two superficially. I would say that neurological evidence suggests limited agency.
I don't know much about the research, I'm really speaking for personal experience after having lived as both male and female.
Sure, these aren't absolutes. Everyone is a combination of genetic and environmental influences.
I'd replace genetic with "biological." Biology has an unknown effect on who we are, yeah, and from my experience hormones trigger different interests depending on who you are and where you are. It also makes you think differently. While I do acknowledge environmental factors, I think that the reasoning, "You like X because society says so," is mostly wrong, or rather, the reasoning is incomplete. It's an easy reason that's so easy it ends up being wrong. It's a lot more complicated than that.

:)
 

Sketchbag

Banned
Well, it runs in to a different problem, particularly in the US: people like the concept of freedom, we have a strong independent streak, and we like to think of our choices as our own. Despite claims to the contrary, both sides of the political spectrum have this in common.

Suggesting that people don't make their own choices rubs a lot of people the wrong way, and is particularly sensitive in a situation like this, because women have fought so hard to be seen as independent, intelligent people who are just as capable as men (which they are). Suggesting that agency is limited is difficult to distinguish (again, in this context) from classical sexism. Just to make it clear: I think agency is limited for men and women. It isn't as if men in the US are born with a natural appreciation for NFL Football or Call of Duty.

I agree.

Reminds me of SLC Punk where he realizes at the end they're not fighting a system but part of it and they've wanted for so long to be different but in reality they just wore different clothes.
 

ppor

Member
Very weird to see a thread about protecting women from the marketing of predatory cosmetic industry.

On a video game forum where console fanboys, of their own free will, gather to debate every minutiae of comic book characters, both of which are owned by vast international conglomerates. Might as well micro-analyze how nerdy interests are a result of a regressive consumerist forces trying to keep beta men preoccupied and evolutionarily distracted, while allowing alpha men get all the womenz.
 

Dash_

Member
Make-up is a tool.

I mostly just wear foundation because it helps me pass much better than if I don't. Same with lipstick and blush when I choose to use them. They draw attention away from areas (chin, forehead) that I'm looking to minimise.

It bothers me when people who wear make-up end up judging others that do for using it to feel better about themselves, when they probably put on hair gel, use deodorant or perfume and groom themselves in ways to achieve a similar sensation.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom