Going 'no makeup'

Who has made that argument, though? Where is it? I know I didn't make it, anyway.

I feel like a lot is read into this discussion that's not in the posts. Which is fitting cause makeup itself is not inherently meaningful. It's just paint. What makes it meaningful, symbolic, is what we ascribe to its presence or absence, what we think it says about us and others, right?

I think the conversation should focus on the discussion that women's bodies are not up for public conversation rather than suggesting that a bit more feminist backbone would help you put the concealer down.

Good point

StillLost, you know what, I had actually been wondering just that from time to time
I cannot stand Nivea, so can you imagine how upset I'd be if I spent £££ for Creme de la Mer and found it to be similar?!
So, thank you

If anyone is wondering whether the hideously expensive Crème de la Mer moisturiser is worth it, it's not. Nivea looks, feels, smells and does exactly the same thing.

I rarely wear makeup.

Mainly because I can't be bothered to put it on and running around with a toddler I don't really see the point.

However I do like some make up when I am going out for the night. To me it's all the part of dressing up and wanting to look and feel great. For me feminism is more than not wearing make-up

The ancient Egyptians were using make up so it was invented thousands of years ago!

It may even pre date patriarchy.

Who invented makeup anyway?

I am in my 50's and started wearing make-up as a teenager to cover up spots.

My skin has cleared over the years but I find that I tend to "pick" at my skin if I am not wearing make up. I think it's anxiety related and I can make a right mess of my face. I never touch my face if I'm wearing make-up.

I couldn't give a rat's arse what other people do and whether it makes me look attractive or not. It just makes me feel better.

Didn't aristocratic men in the regency period wear make up?

Any historians around who can enlighten us to its demise?

Having said all of this. I worked with two guys. One was ginger haired and other had white hair and both in their twenties and both dyed their hair religiously. I only knew the red heads actual hair colour due to childhood photos being shown.

I am always a bit about women who proclaim how little make up they need to wear and how unnecessary it is. I have an aunt and cousin like this. They are both strikingly beautiful. I have fought the good fight against my acne and dry skin for twenty years. On the days where I lose the battle I put on makeup.

For those of you with skin that is broadly the same colour all over and doesn't erupt into pustules congratulations. If you wake up with broadly straight hair and the correct number of teeth in your head facing the right way good for you. You look as society expects you to look. I just cannot bring myself to feel strongly about the socialisation argument because there are so many women doing almost every variation possible. And i know that I don't know why someone is wearing what they are wearing but as an adult they made that choice for themselves. I think the conversation should focus on the discussion that women's bodies are not up for public conversation rather than suggesting that a bit more feminist backbone would help you put the concealer down.

(My skin is looking awful for the last month. I am wearing foundation, concealer, eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss- I feel bloody epic and I still believe in gender equality. And even if my skin was having a good run and I put on unneeded make up I would still believe in equality)

I also agree that it's a feminist issue, as evidenced by the use of language around it. Many women I know will say things like: 'I can't leave the house without make-up' or 'I need to put my face on'. These tend to be the same women who say they 'must' shave their legs before going swimming.

Bit of a tangent but I was chatting to a woman at the gym the other day who said she was off for a bikini wax because if anyone were to see her pubic area, 'they'd think it was disgusting'. I thought that was so sad.

I wore makeup once when I was 18, and then once (lipsticks) for taking a passport photo 20 years ago. Now I don't own makeup.

Someone did tell me that when I'm older I will be wearing makeup. I'm still waiting for it to happen.

But I agree that this is a feminist issue.

your first one! (just RTwholeFT)

I went make-up free about a year ago for the reasons the OP is considering. It was fine but it does sometimes make me feel like I am projecting "humourless old boot" a bit. When actually I am an old boot with a sparkling personality!

great post bodingading

In emergencies mascara, it stops me looking like a codfish, thirty years ago I had no idea what my mother was talking about.
Now I do.
Other than that no make up.

So I'm doing the inverse route to you, LadyBlahBlah: starting to face-paint after years of feeling that make-up was a pointless and patriarchal faff.

It's still an experiment at this stage, though, so I may yet drop the new foundation-and-eyeliner habit. This thread makes me realise I probably should.

I have started pressuring myself into wearing make-up, as I am Getting Older, and I know that, in a patriarchy, I will be relegated to complete irrelevance if I don't look fuckable comply with current norms of beauty, at least a little.

It's one of those compromises I make with the p. I'm pissed off that the need for the compromise exists, but I am aware that I am complying to a degree, and why, and it feels a little bit icky and a little bit necessary.

And then I systematically get compliments on how I look (from women). This pisses me off even more, as I feel I am being congratulated for handmaidenry. By people I love, to boot!

I very rarely wear make-up. My mother hardly ever did so it wasn't really on my radar when I was growing up.* I have been through phases when I've felt a bit more vulnerable to societal pressure and sort of tried to get into it but soon abandoned it because a) I resented the amount of time it took and b) I am utterly ham-fisted and impatient and don't make a good job of it (for the same reason, I don't do much with my hair either). I also absolutely don't suit eyeshadow or lipstick.

I exercise a great deal so I figure there isn't much point in applying make-up directly before getting very sweaty. I sometimes wear a bit of mascara and concealer if I go out for an evening but otherwise I don't bother. No-one cares (or at least have never let me know their opinion!) I have a few friends who never wear make-up, some who wear it occasionally and quite a few who won't leave the house without it.

*My daughter is pretty interested in make-up and hair styling so she's got clearly got those genes from the other side of the family. Not that my OH wears make-up either though

No.
Quite.

The feminist make-up was a parody, not an instruction manual, wasn't it?

I would never ever wear that style of makeup although I can admire it on other women.

Foundation/blusher/lipstick would be rather a lot of makeup for me, whereas my going out/special occasion slap is eyeliner/mascara/'groomed' eye brows/tinted moisturiser - so ever what consists of 'light makeup' varies between us

I don't think that any makeup makes anybody look younger, and some young women certainly look older when they are all made up (?I wonder whether that is the desired effect at times), but personally I think I look more 'awake' when I put some mascara on. Why that should matter, I don't know….

The 'professional' argument I don't get either: I think it depends v much on the profession. In the City or Blue Chip companies I'd never get away with my get up , however in my profession 'clean and tidy' is enough and 'full-on slap' is fine too, as is anything in between.

PS - I've just stopped colouring my hair too so I can go fully and properly grey (and hopefully gracefully).
I'm happy to be 50 and it got depressing sitting in meetings looking at all our carefully dyed hair that looks so flat, contrived and unnatural.