To think most make up is a waste of time?

[HuckleberryBlackcurrant]

I've never been a girly girl, never seen the point of tanning, nails, fashionable clothes, makeup etc. I do wear makeup on occasion, but it takes me 5 minutes to apply- some powder, a little mascara and maybe some lip tint.

I used to use more makeup to cover blemishes when a teenager.

But I know so many women who spend hours a week on their face. The time, the effort and the expense seems to be immense. I just don't get it. Why spend so long applying expensive paint to your face? Why not just look how you look? Men don't go through all this nonsense and somehow we are able to stand to look at their bare faces.

I know some people are going to say makeup is their hobby, they enjoy it, fine. I'm more addressing those who feel they have to put it on before leaving the house every day.

Help me to understand!

Also, on the scale of what is a waste of my time I would much rather be applying make-up than washing dishes, hanging up clothes, putting the bins out, cleaning the toilet, hoovering etc etc etc

It's not dubbed 'war paint' for no reason, is it? Make up is generally worn when people are consciously projecting a particular image.

Why have some tribes worn makeup throughout history? To denote belonging, to intill fear on their combatants? Those are two reasons I think of off the cuff. Make up is used in lots of different ways.

@IWearMakeUp

Shit, I'm so sorry that happened to you. I hope whoever was responsible was punished.

Sounds like you spend more time talking about makeup, and looking down your nose at people who wear it, than most people spend applying it tbh.

@PersephonePomegranate23

That's a really interesting take. We are visual creatures so that makes sense.

@IWearMakeUp I'm so sorry to read what happened to you. 💐

@StopTheBusINeedAWeeWeeAWeeWeeBagOChips

Lol maybe.

Make up brings out your natural colours more out. It is nice. I have severe post period acnes and today has few massive pussy spots. Horrible. Had to squeeze them, sorry, covered the whole face with tanned powder, some lipstick and looked a bit more normal

I would look like Night of the Living Dead if I didn't wear make up.

Other than a couple of hospital stays I've worn make up every day since 1979.

Among all the other reasons mentioned...

Because women are exposed to literally thousands of images from birth of beautiful women with flawless skin and enhanced facial features, with or without makeup, and this has increased tenfold with the Internet, and beauty is a billion dollar industry that is an incredibly well oiled machine at inventing new 'problems' to fix in order to sell product. Because newspapers and magazines deliberately seek out unflattering pictures of celebrity women's faces and skin in order to sell newspapers, solidifying the belief that if you look like these women there's something wrong you need to fix. People bully you at school for your face, your skin. There are men and women out there who will openly discuss how someone's skin looks horrible, or doesn't so and so look ill cos she's so pale etc.

... you know, capitalism and patriarchy?

Congrats, you're totally not like other girls

I very much doubt you need help to understand why some people prefer to wear makeup to leave the house

@Foxblue

Well said.

I wear a full face every day. I had really bad acne in my teenage years and was horribly bullied about it. I am left with some scarring although I'm told by the very few people who have seen my bare bace that it's not as bad as I think it is. If I was to leave the house without it I would instantly feel like that child being bullied all over again and feel people were staring and laughing although my adult self knows that isn't true I would still feel that way. Its my mask in both ways

@Zola1

I understand objectively, I'm trying to talk to real people and get their thoughts. So far people have raised a lot of interesting points. I think that's one of the best parts of being human, trying to see things from someone else's point of view.

I haven't met many women who typically don't wear makeup so this has been very interesting.

@Pinkflowers19

I am so sorry. Bullies are just the lowest of the low.

The reason I do it is because quite frankly, I look better when I do.

I am have auburn hair naturally, so even though I have long thick lashes, they cannot be seen unless I wear mascara. Need help with my eyebrows too, especially since they are now microbladed.

On top of that, I have rosacea, so I wear makeup to even out my skin tone. I wear quite a natural look but I do like to enhance my features when I go out to dinner with my partner or drinks with my friends.

And most of all, I enjoy it. I enjoy looking at it, buying it, putting it on and displaying it on my dresser.

Thanks everyone for your insight. I still would consider makeup to be a waste of my time on the whole but I am understanding more of why people do think it's a worthwhile use of theirs.

@Namechange666

Yeah I get that, I look heaps better with it on too!

I've got fair eyebrows and lashes, I would wear less if I was darker naturally but they need defining
I'm not blessed with flawless skin due to acne scarring from my teens but a tinted moisturiser and a touch of bronzer to take off the ghostly white look just makes me feel more confident. Less than 10 mins in the morning max, I go for natural as possible but makes me look more polished and together.
I would feel a bit scruffy if I didn't wear make up.

I look better with it, more alone and thus I feel better. It takes a matter of minutes unless I am going to a smart night out when I might spend a whole 10 minutes for fancy warpaint.

In my line of work it’s best to look polished so I have my nails done every three weeks, and forget about them in between, and always wear make up when meeting clients.

My time so my choice how I spend it. I think watching soap operas or trying to police how other women should look is a waste of time but each to their own.

because some people like it. And want to do it.

You could replace make-up with all sorts in this question - why go for long country walks in cold/wet weather? Why spend loads of money on gourmet food? Why spend all your time digging up the garden? Why only go on holiday in the U.K.? And so forth.

It’s all the same answer - we all like different things and live in different ways. Something that is enjoyed by one person will seem a waste of time/money/effort to another.

I haven't read all the replies but for me it's about looking different each day.

I love creating different looks, maybe a 50s style with eyeliner or more natural the next day then a more dramatic look.

I couldn't look exactly the same with the same hairstyle every day. It would bore me.

I like a few minutes thinking about myself each morning. I like the pretty colours and textures. I like making my features more defined.

I find it a boring waste of time but I mean make-up in some form has been used for thousands of years, the ancient egyptians stained their eyebrows and wore a type of rouge on their cheeks. I don't know if that was just the females, or whether men used make up too. So there is something that compels 'us' to make-up our faces.

It is all a waste of time for me so I don't do it we are not forced to wear it