Beauty regime burdens

V rare to see teen girls with short hair at all these days

When I was a teen thirty odd years ago almost all the girls in my class had hair that was either short or bobbed (chin length). The only girl who did have hair down past her shoulders came in to school one Monday morning with a quite spectacular eighties mullet declaring that she was "fed up of looking like a fucking hippy."

I'm just going to leave this here;
tinyurl.com/Fembooks1

good list Erythronium

as a younger woman I once lost my makeup bag - this was just the bag of stuff I carried around with me, choice pieces from the motherlode of makeup in my bedroom. I realised that it would cost me £400 to replace the products in the bag. I should have had the bloody thing insured

I do still splurge on make up, and I love it. as long as I still have money for the important things I don't see it as a problem. but it is important to be aware of why that £30 lipstick seems essential to you, or your hair must be straightened or whatever. one of the reasons I never touch women's magazines or lifestyle supplements any more. all they want to do is sell you stuff.

I feel quite relaxed about the fact that I do womaning wrong, when I look at that huge list^.

Sorry you are right.

super

I know you mean women as a class

And as i say as a teen i would have been utterly embarrassed if i couldnt walk in heels

Dd isnt phased at all and neither are her friends

And they are prepared to put up with a level of pain that I certainly wouldn’t be ...back in my youth or now

So i think there has been a change

Highlights
Lowlights
Perms
Hair curlers
Hair straighteners
Hairspray
Setting lotion
Foundation
Face powder
Blusher
Bronzer
Highlighter
Concealer
Lipstick
Lip gloss
Lip liner
Eye liner
Eye shadow
Mascara
Nail varnish
Nail extensions
Neck cream
Hand cream
Body lotion
Perfume
Expensive moisturisers
Anit-aging creams
Cleanser
Toner
Chemical peels
Dermabrasion
Breast enlargement
Bottom implants
Liposuction
Labioplasty
Vaginal tightening
Face lifts
Facial implants

That's a lot of time, money and women's thought and energy.

No, 2Rebecca, that’s Naomi Wolf too- the author of Outrages. She also believes in chemtrails. Although I agree with most of her points in the Beauty Myth.

When I talk about femininity I am talking about it as an institution and set of social pressures.
I do not mean to criticize any individual woman or girl.
And I don't think that if you said 'hi wear these heels so you can't run and look vulnerable' anyone would jump at the chance.
As individuals our reasons will likely vary and for the most part will make sense to us.
It's examining it as a system that interests me.
What are the effects on women as a class?
What happens when you follow the money?
Who does this benefit?

It's Naomi Klein who didn't do her research not Naomi Wolf. Naomi Wolf is a 56 year old American who wrote the Beauty Myth, Naomi Klein is a 49 year old Canadian whose recent book Outrages wrongly interpreted the term "death recorded"

I think the Bambi look is deliberate

Not in dds case...she is unable to walk in heels of one inch

No balance

BUT i do agree that the unintended bambi on ice look isnt seen as a turn off ....at all

When i do think it was something that other generations didnt do...if you couldnt walk in heels...then you didnt wear them. The whole point was to look like a glamorous sexy woman...not a baby giraffe

'The vast majority of women do not wear heels.'

Maybe not when planning to carry shopping.
But for a night out, or a wedding?

I think the Bambi look is deliberate.
It's vulnerability.
Which overlaps with many conceptions of femininity.
And the point of 'beauty and misogyny ' is that femininity is not the same as who women are.
It isn't a secret essence or a destiny.
It is a performance and an industry

MorrisZapp I think the story that young men are never going to turn down sex and that they don’t care what a woman looks like is patently false. They very clearly do care- they are very critical of women’s appearance online for instance. They have been brought up to expect unrealistic perfection through porn and absolutely judge women who do not keep up with this punishing regime. They do sometimes claim to like the ‘natural look’ but what they mean is someone who is naturally stunning (and presumably removes all pubic hair and is thin, toned, tanned etc). This is not to say that every young man is like this- there are many exceptions- but if you look at shows like Love Island, you will see that the push for women to be groomed comes very heavily from men as well.

I would take issue with the statement that girls seem happy enough. That’s not true- numerous studies have shown that young women’s confidence is at rock bottom. They are not happy. I don’t know if it has anything to do with beauty regimes but something is seriously wrong in any event.

I'm unsure on this one. If you ask MN how they feel about big square eyebrows and Kardashian style contouring etc not one person will admit to doing it. They'll all say it looks bloody terrible.

Yet young women do it. It isn't attractive to men, so what's at play here? No young man refuses sex on the grounds that the girl hasn't caked on enough brown powder or that her eyebrows aren't black enough.

It's a peer group thing, apparently imposed from within. The nations mothers are left baffled by it all.

I wouldn't bother quoting Naomi Wolf, to be honest, seeing as she's just been called out on shitty research on her latest book.
The only things I do on that list is shave my legs and underarms with a lady shaver once a week or so. I suspect most of the women around me also do very little. I think most women start off doing more beauty stuff but it tails off as we get older.
jackolantern it's acceptable for women to wear socks and trainers now, loads of women do. Some companies have a dress code that stipulates dress shoes but that usually applies to men too.
I have noticed the short/long hair thing though. There is definitely gender stereotyping going on there. I suspect there will be a pushback in the next few years though.

Dd doesnt wear much makeup...or do much to her hair

She shaves when she is baring the relevant skin...which I appreciate is still shaving but at least its not all the time

She wears trainers unless she is going out for an evening...but when she goes out she is desperate to wear very high heels. She just can’t walk in them. She looks like bambi on ice

And although i will take responsibility for the shaving bit as i do the same (i look like a yeti in the winter) i am not taking responsibility for the heels bit. Thats society

Try standing in a shopping centre and looking across the centre at women’s feet. The vast majority of women do not wear heels.

oh yes, I shave my legs and armpits, don't think i'll be stopping. but it's worth being aware that the decision to do it is not made in a vacuum

Well, I will continue to shave armpits and legs cos I hate most body hair (not waxing lady garden - only tidy it a bit). I wear make up for me and only me cos I love colour!

I haven't worn heels for ages as I cannot walk in them and laugh when I see other women stamping along in them/leaning on boyfriends for support.

yes, it's the time. i am very time poor and increasingly resent anything that sucks up valuable time. i got into korean skincare, and it did make my skin look great, but it's just not as important as spending time with my kids, reading the paper, embroidery, mumsnetting, exercising, the committee work I do for a local group, various little bits of feminist activism and, best of all sleeping, so it had to go

when you're spending 3 hours every 6 weeks getting your highlights done, an hour every couple of weeks having your nails done, half an hour every day doing chemical peels / face masks, an hour a day washing and drying your hair etc, what could you be doing instead?

I live in walking shoes or comfy sandals when it’s hot, & have a pair of low-heeled shoes living under my desk at work.

Heels look too bloody uncomfortable.

I’ve never been able to do make up so a big uh-huh to anyone who suggests that makeup is meritocratic and we can all look beautiful if we just try.

I’ve done some of the above but have basically spent my whole life doing what I want, much to my wonderful ex-H’s annoyance.

That starts young too, the shoe thing.

And I think it's worse than it was 30 years ago.
When I was at school I could wear kickers or DMs.

Now most or all girls have quite flimsy shoes with no arch support that are useless in bad weather.

Girls also seem to often have handbag style schoolbags in late primary so they have all the weight on their extended arm.

I wear blundstones or trainers usually but I do worry I won't be seen as professional.
But I would get such bad joint pain if I did wear heels and I wouldn't be able to walk in them.

My dh's feet are baby soft because he's walked around in socks and comfy trainers his whole life. I don't do much beauty stuff that I resent but it not being particularly 'acceptable' for most women to do this really bugs me.

I don't even wear heels much but ballet flat type shoes with pop socks are just not as comfy!