What do you think of people getting ready on the train in the mornings?

[alwaySun]

I moved to London a few years ago from a small town and never had seen something like that before. Full make up and hair done in the train/underground. I just wonder what people think about it? I would say most of you probably don't mind

I think they don’t know how to appropriately manage their time.

I see it as great use of dead time.

When I had a long commute I didn't regularly, though it was only the basics, and only if I didn't have someone sat next to me.

It feels like criticising this is yet another stick to beat women with.

We are expected to be presentable - which for women often translates into wearing make up. This means it takes us longer than men to get ready.

We are usually the ones getting children up and to childcare first thing, meaning we have less time to get ready in the morning.

We statistically get up far more with children at night, meaning we are less rested anyway.

And now we are expected to not sensibly use the dead time of committing to satisfy society's demands on our presentation, but to get up earlier/go to bed earlier, meaning we either have even less sleep or even less free time.

Screw that.

As long as it's not indecent, messy, noisy or smelly, the commute is as near many women get to free time, and they should use it as productively or as unproductively as they want

I don’t like it at all. Putting a bit of lipstick on is ok. Anything else is not.

It feels like criticising this is yet another stick to beat women with.

We are expected to be presentable - which for women often translates into wearing make up. This means it takes us longer than men to get ready.

We are usually the ones getting children up and to childcare first thing, meaning we have less time to get ready in the morning.

We statistically get up far more with children at night, meaning we are less rested anyway.

And now we are expected to not sensibly use the dead time of committing to satisfy society's demands on our presentation, but to get up earlier/go to bed earlier, meaning we either have even less sleep or even less free time.

Absolutely.

Just more, shitty, misogynistic judgement.

Screw that.

I just see it as lazy - being so unable to just get up 10 mins earlier,

For some people, it's not a question of not getting up 10 mins earlier, but of being caught up in 'mummy' activities until they get out of the house.

And in any case, I don't care if someone whom I don't know is lazy: it doesn't affect my life.

I'm not saying all this to defend myself, by the way: personally, I apply as little make-up as I can get away with, and certainly don't do it on public transport. But I am fortunate in not having a long commute. And I just think it's a waste of energy and blood pressure to get worked up about where a stranger does their make-up.

I remember someone having plastic boxes of veg she peeled on the train home 🤣 that was probably 28 years ago now

Honestly? I've been a mum of 2 young children in that exact situation. My personal view is that in that situation you skip makeup altogether, or spend 5 mins sticking on the essentials in the bathroom at work. Or you do those 5 mins with your children there. Mascara, basic foundation and a quick brush of blusher doesn't take 20 minutes. Plenty of who have young children don't do their makeup on the train - its choices/priorities.

Meh, I used to do it all the time when I was commuting. When you have to catch the train at 7, doing make up on the train means you can get up half an hour later.

Lots of people do it and I don't think most people take any notice of what others are doing. Some people are there snoring, and I've seen some people cut their fingernails - which is much more grim.

I'm too self conscious to do that

I completely agree Babyboomtastic

I used to commute into London 5 days a week as a student, I would leave my house at 6am to get the bus to my local train station, my train was at 7.30am, I would arrive in London at 8.45am, and then get a series of tubes to get to my destination for 9.45am. And then spend finish my course at 6pm, and do the journey in reverse to get home.
I used to have a quick shower and wash my hair every morning before I left home but I would do my makeup on the train. One it gave me something to do on my long journey and Two I was too bloody knackered to wake up earlier to do it at home before I left.

Plenty of who have young children don't do their makeup on the train - its choices/priorities.

But if you don’t make a mess, spray stuff or whatever, what’s the issue?

@custardbear

I remember someone having plastic boxes of veg she peeled on the train home 🤣 that was probably 28 years ago now

That sounds like serious forward planning!

@TheKeatingFive

Plenty of who have young children don't do their makeup on the train - its choices/priorities.

But if you don’t make a mess, spray stuff or whatever, what’s the issue?

The same could be said of clipping your toe nails or flossing your teeth or picking your nose. If you don't make a mess or spray stuff, crack on! (Please don't, but you get my drift).

The standard should not be "is this going to cause actual harm to someone?" but rather "is this polite?".

I drove into work rather than take public transport. I used to leave the house early and beat all the traffic. Then sit in the car and do my makeup. It was much more time efficient.

I think it's rude and attention seeking and people should get up earlier and get ready in their own home.

If it's not smelly, and it's not causing a mess and it's not indecent, but it's not 'polite' does that not point to misogynistic attitudes towards women being presentable at all times? There is nothing intrinsically indecent about a woman applying make up on public as long as it doesn't cause a disruption/mess. It just jarrs with your idea about what nice polite women do.

The same could be said of clipping your toe nails or flossing your teeth or picking your nose.

I don’t see it as the same at all. There are obvious hygiene issues with those.

If it's not smelly, and it's not causing a mess and it's not indecent, but it's not 'polite' does that not point to misogynistic attitudes towards women being presentable at all times?

Absolutely. There’s a bizarre undertone of women having to look the part, but also keep their labour hidden. People would do well to examine this more.

@Babyboomtastic

If it's not smelly, and it's not causing a mess and it's not indecent, but it's not 'polite' does that not point to misogynistic attitudes towards women being presentable at all times? There is nothing intrinsically indecent about a woman applying make up on public as long as it doesn't cause a disruption/mess. It just jarrs with your idea about what nice polite women do.

No, this applies to all antisocial behaviour - loud phone calls, all personal grooming, spreading out bags / laptops / coffee cups all over shared tables. This particular thread is about makeup, which women are far more likely than men to be using, but I class that in the personal grooming category, which is antisocial regardless of which sex is doing it.

I don't want to see men or women doing personal grooming on trains.

There is indeed a discussion to be had about societal expectations of how women should look and the insidious pressure that creates, but within the context of carrying out personal grooming in public spaces I think this is a red herring.

If it's ok for someone to apply hand cream in public why is foundation different?

I'm just impressed as I can't even put on makeup when sitting still!

When my hay-fever is bad it can take up to 30mins for my morning tablet to kick in. Often then not being outside actually stops them from being irritated and weepy.

So sometimes I've taken my mascara and eyeliner and done it on the train. Luckily my train isn't packed until a few stops down the line so noone gets elbowed.

But I genuinely don't care what other people think, they might think I'm lazy etc. But you know what you don't know what's going on in that person's life so I think people should not be so judgemental. If its not bothering you then what's the issue

Couldn't care less if somebody else does it.

Personally I never wear makeup, so would never be something I would do.

Curious though - why some posters think it should be done in private?

When I left the house at 6.30 am I used to put makeup on in the station toilets but never in the actual train.
I’ve seen people doing nails, filing (yuk), plucking eyebrows etc in addition to putting make up on. IMO anything that ‘sheds’ is anti social and should be kept for the bathroom.
This thread puts me in mind of a thread where someone asked if it was unreasonable to eat their breakfast on the train, the answer was generally no, but then it turned out her breakfast was 2 hard boiled eggs 🤣.

Fine, good use of the time. I draw the line at people on the tube brushing their hair and then pulling hair off the brush and throwing it on the floor(rank, and litter) which I have seen a lot. Ditto filing their nails so that the bits of their nail go all over you.... Most people I see on the tube (I don't commute on the train) are just doing a bit of lipstick etc though, you rarely see someone starting from foundation.