on makeup

Spurred by a post at Fetch Me My Axe, I’m going to tackle the issue of feminism & makeup. The idea is that you can’t be for women’s rights while wearing cosmetics. Cosmetics were invented by men to make women appear more attractive physically and thus land themselves a husband. Why should any self-respecting woman spend her money and time on these products?

From wikipedia:
The U.S. FDA defines cosmetics as: “intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body's structure or functions.” This broad definition includes, as well, any material intended for use as a component of a cosmetic product. The FDA specifically excludes “soap” from this category.

So men use cosmetics as well; deodorant, shaving (a cosmetic process), etc. Not to mention the lines of cosmetic products specifically designed for men.

But I’m going to focus on makeup. Makeup is not included in our cultural requirements of hygiene, as deodorant is. Makeup is specifically used to temporarily alter the appearance of someone (generally women) by adding color or texture to the face.

I wear makeup. I love it. However, I also love dying my hair radical colors and getting tattoos. These are both appearance-altering, and even more permanent, but there is not the same stigma attached to them as to wearing makeup. Lots of feminists do these things, along with cutting their hair short (which I also do). These are seen as forms of rebellion, because they go against the male-imposed cultural norm that women should have “long flowing hair and be unmarred by any imperfections”. This is also where makeup comes in. Women must perpetuate their youthful, more attractive looks, so they must smooth those wrinkles, highlight their big eyes, and appear rosy and flushed instead of pale and wan.

Thus is the stereotype. Feminists don’t go in for those male-imposed “girly” things, like dresses, high heels, or makeup. They wear short hair and hiking boots. They may be smart, but they’re ugly; because of this they can’t land a husband and therefore hate men.
As all stereotypes go, this is ridiculous. Of course there are people that fall into this category (yes, even the “I-hate-men-because-they-think-I’m-ugly” part). There are also those that completely go against it, including myself.

I repeat my mantra: feminism is about choice. If you choose to wear makeup because you like the way it looks on you, yourself, that is feminism. If you choose to wear makeup because you want to impress other people, that is not quite feminism. If you go into a job interview donning cosmetics you would never normally go near because you think it will help you get the job, that is not good feminism. You could arrive in all your bare-skinned glory, imperfections and all, showing that you are confident in your qualifications and not dependent on your appearance. This is a form of feminism.

Some people do choose a different kind of approach: they use their feminine wiles to get ahead in life. They get their hair done just right, they wear layers of makeup, they wear tight, revealing (uncomfortable) clothes. In some ways, this sets feminists back. In other ways, it makes perfect sense because the women know that they wield a certain power over others (men) and choose to utilize it. It does get attention, and if done correctly then it will draw attention to the non-gender-specific strengths of a woman. I don’t condone this behavior, because the majority of women attempting it forget the part about drawing attention to their non-gender-specific strengths. This perpetuates the stereotype of women getting by on their looks alone, which focuses the need for makeup, and so on.

In short, feminism and makeup are not exclusive. You can wear makeup and be a feminist. You can not wear makeup and not be a feminist. It’s all about what you choose (or what is chosen for you by society).