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Original poster

to wonder why some women don't wear make-up

608 replies

MeganCherry · 11/01/2013 16:00

I'm sure I will get flamed for this but -

I don't mean trowel it on every morning, 3 lots of foundations, eyeshadow, eyeliner etc.

I have quite good skin, so on a usual day I'll wear - mascara and a lipstick/glass. On a bad day I'll probably wear concealer too.

I think make up is about enhancing your features and making the best of them. Me after a sleepless night I look like a zombie, add some concealer and I look like a human being again.

I like to wear make up for me and not to impress my husband or friends or strangers. I just know that I look better when I'm wearing it.

OP posts:
JugglingFromHereToThere · 12/01/2013 20:46

bringandbuy Your earth man sees beauty in you because you are gorgeous of course !

Women are naturally very attractive to most men Smile

bringnbuy · 12/01/2013 20:56

thanks juggling :)

Crawling · 12/01/2013 21:34

This whole men prefer make up well I was a tomb so have mostly male friends and as a teenager they caught me without make up and they all said I looked 10 times better without I barely wear any since then.

Maybe a man who wants a woman to look like a doll prefers make up but a real man wants a woman whose not so dressed up shes to scared to have fun in case she breaks her heels e.t.c.

steppemum · 12/01/2013 22:11

carmen - you have the wrong poster I didn't say that you were looking for anyone.
You said men prefer women with make up. I said my dh doesn't. He doesn't like it (bit of an earth man as someone else said)

And interestingly, I said that I don't wear make up because I don't want to for many reasons.

I have no problem with make up. I like to wear it sometimes, I enjoy dressing up for a night out. but the ops question got me riled because it seems backwards to me.

I don't wear it, because i am caonfident in who am and don't feel the need.

The logic does NOT follow that if you wear it you are underconfident, or not happy with who you are etc. Everyone expresses themselves differently

sameoldlovebunny · 12/01/2013 22:45

make up is dirt on your face. if you need it, ask yourself why.

LibraryMum8 · 12/01/2013 22:47

yabu, IMO.

Thewhingingdefective · 12/01/2013 22:50

I look shit without make up, but I don't care. I am home on my own (well, with two toddlers) all day, apart from the 30 mins I am at school each morning/afternoon.

Really can't be arsed with slapping the make up on, unless it is for something worth the effort.

BegoniaBampot · 12/01/2013 23:12

'make up is dirt on your face.'

That's funny, because I do feel sort of dirty when I'm wearing it.

RiaOverTheRainbow · 12/01/2013 23:31

Because I'm not unhappy with the natural colours of my face?

Carmen and Feminine in what way exactly do you feel women look 'better' with make up? Do they look like they'd be better at mental arithmetic? Better at cooking pancakes? Better at empathy? Better in bed? Better at colouring in their faces in a socially approved fashion?

Fine if you choose to wear make up, but what exactly are women who don't missing out on?

ledkr · 12/01/2013 23:36

I think people are over thinking this tbh. Putting on make up for most is just because they think it enhances their appearance.
There is no hidden meaning or underlying low self esteem and if there is then make up maybe their coping mechanism.
It's not for men or other women or to mask feelings it's not. Feminist issue it's just a bit if make up. Lots if women in other cultures wear make up too.
If you don't wear it then that's great for you but don't make huge assumptions about people who do wear it.

Sunnywithshowers · 12/01/2013 23:43

What stands out on this thread though is the way the non make up wearers are getting quite cross.

Carmen, I don't usually wear make up but when I do have fun with it. But I'm pissed off with this thread because it seems there is an assumption that women must wear make up.

Why is that? What is so wrong with the unedited versions of ourselves that is so threatening?

Why are men given a free pass to look entirely like themselves, whereas women are deemed to need make up to pass muster? Why do you think that is?

My face is fine exactly as it is. I don't owe the world a pretty face - it's not my duty to make sure that people don't have anything to criticise.

NewAndSparklyMe · 12/01/2013 23:48

Er, because I don't want to. Yeah, yeah, I look better for it. It's just not a priority of mine, though.
I know what I want to be doing in a morning. I want an extra half hour in bed. Followed by getting up and slurping gallons of tea. Nowhere in that features farting about with lipstick and whatnot. Grin

cheeseandpineapple · 13/01/2013 00:01

Men shave. For women who wear make up, it's less time consuming than shaving and motivation for shaving/wearing make up I suspect is the same. It's about the way we look and feel about ourselves. There's also a certain amount of convention attached to both rituals. Wouldn't conclude that we make up wearers must be missing a trick if blokes don't bother with it, which some people seem to be implying. Men spend more time on their faces by the sound of it then most people on this thread!

I would love to get my make up bag out on a few of my friends who never wear make up. I totally admire and almost envy that they are so comfortable in their skin that they never wear any make up, but I'd love to see how they scrub up with just a bit, just out of curiosity.

I like wearing make up. It makes me feel good. I have dark shadows under my eyes, which hasn't got anything to do with how much sleep I get. I like the transformation, with even just the slightest bit of concealer and mascara. I admit, there is a certain amount of self satisfied preening when I apply my make up!

At the very least I like using a tinted moisturiser and some concealer. If I went out without these, I really would feel naked! I'd go as far as saying I need these and would feel lousy without them. I guess it's the equivalent of coffee for me (which I don't drink), wakes me up and helps me prepare for the day. We all have our crutches...

TheSkiingGardener · 13/01/2013 00:16

cheeseandpineapple I actually shuddered when you said you wanted to put make up on friends that didn't wear it.

I have never owned make up. Well meaning friends did once persuade me to let them put make up on me. I nearly cried at the result. I felt so false and not like me at all. It was like someone had tried to hide me. You say make up is like a crutch for you, for me it's exactly the opposite, it reduces and enfeebles who I am by trying to change it or hide it.

andtheycalleditbunnylove · 13/01/2013 00:18

I do feel sort of dirty when I'm wearing it.
grubby? i feel grubby, as if i need to wash my face.
but if you feel dirty, well, there might be advantages in wearing it...

BegoniaBampot · 13/01/2013 00:19

It's actually quite a fascinating discussion. I'm more the less is more camp (but I'm a lazy fucker) but truly thinking about it the healthiest attitude might be those who wear it now and again for fun but can just as easily and confidently go without rather than those polarised into the never and always camps.

PretzelTime · 13/01/2013 00:23

So this is still going on huh...
Men shave. For women who wear make up, it's less time consuming than shaving
Us ladies are expected to shave our bodies, and remove facial hair. AND wear makeup. And a bunch of other things to improve our looks. It's well known that a feminine woman's grooming time is longer than a man's.

seeker · 13/01/2013 00:25

"Why are men given a free pass to look entirely like themselves, whereas women are deemed to need make up to pass muster? Why do you think that is?"

This really is the key question.

andtheycalleditbunnylove · 13/01/2013 00:35

indeed it is.

TraineeBabyCatcher · 13/01/2013 00:42

I don't because:
I'm too lazy to apply it.
I'm too lazy to find decent makeup for when I occasionally decide to wear it.
I feel like I constantly have something gunky on my face.
I'm too lazy.
Dp says I look better without.
It takes too much times.
I'm not very good at applying make up.

Did I mention because I'm lazy?

likeatonneofbricks · 13/01/2013 00:42

Both men and women of higher society wore a LOT of make-up in the 18th cen (men wore powdered wigs too) - see Blackadder Grin - it is quite fascinating why that changed. I suppose in the industrial 19th cen fewer men had any leisure time to preen, and it was all about business on wide scale, so it went out of fashion due to the economy of the West. At the same time women still stayed at home and looked after the children, but 'good' women also didn't wear make-up then, it was reserved for 'easy virtue' women.

So it looks like the big trend for makeup later on was the new sexual liberalism, sexualisation of society, as makeup was still seen as sexy and playful (in men's eyes obviously), and then the industry just took over with all the sex thing and how it's all about youth and sex appeal. Red lips = aroused, smokey eyes = siren, rosy cheeks = aroused again, 'fresh look makeup' = country girl look - these are all to play to men's sex appetite.

I suppose punk and business-type 'neat' makeup is different but they are small niche of the industry.

I do admire all the posters who can't give a f* as to how they look unenhanced and don't care about people's perceptions. Even in the 80s/90s it was such a rare attitude. Things are going to change towards no daily makeup eventually, by the looks of it!

BegoniaBampot · 13/01/2013 00:50

Think part of the reason for the perfumes, wigs and make up from centuries ago is because they stank, and were diseased and falling apart with disease etc. hiding some of the ravages of the time.

AmberSocks · 13/01/2013 00:52

I love make up and i enjoy putting it on,even if i was naturally bronzed and buffed and scuplted with flawless skin and long thick eyelashes and perfect eyebrows and pouty lips i would still wear it as its one of my pleasures.Same with doing my hair.

I also can see why some people dont bother and tbh i dont care what anyone else does,as for setting an example for my daughter,well i would say the same to her, i enjoy it and if se enjoys it then she can wear it,if shoe doesnt then she doesnt have to....

Anniegetyourgun · 13/01/2013 00:57

"Painting lips and pencil-lining your brow
Now is quite respectable..."

likeatonneofbricks · 13/01/2013 01:03

Grin at 'falling apart with disease', Begonia! I think it was more to fill their time with SOMETHING - they had very elaborate dress too and that was not needed in so many layers to just cover up, but also it was of course a social thing, i.e. to show they had lots of money and 'refinement' and spare time.

But what I mean men were EQUALLY made-up then, which since vanished as a concept.

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