Colleague has said I'm vain a few times

[Spottttty]

Well not said it, but heavily implied it. I could understand if I'm going around saying 'Look at me I'm soo beautiful' but obviously this isn't the case.

She's said this because I sometimes put make up on or use a mirror at work at lunch. So what? Like it's not affecting her in any way.
She's made comments about 3 times, I've just laughed but next time I'll say something maybe?

It might just be friendly ribbing as she's nice otherwise but not sure what her goal is. She's someone who doesn't wear a scrap of make up and that's up to her, I'm not someone who can do that and that's just me.

Like rendering your victims fat down to make soap?

I'd have said well quite honestly Susan, if you don't mind me saying, you could really do with some makeup.
So childish and tiresome to mimic you.
I'm 62 and wear make up so I look decent at work. It's not vain at all.

Flicking a quick bit of lipstick on is fine, but nobody wants hairs or powder flying around where they're eating food. It's just ...etiquette. You're in a public space doing something that's normally done privately. It's like having loud FaceTimes or watching videos with no headphones on.

How shit at applying make up must you have to be if powder flies around all over the place? 🤣

I'm now picturing op flinging hairs and powder around.
The original given scenario has really grown legs and galloped walked hasn't it. 😁

I’m curious about how they’re mimicking/mocking? I don’t know how to describe it, but I open/contort my mouth oddly while doing mascara. Is it that she’s doing?

Yes, I agree. In public the most I would do is re-powder my nose or re-apply lipstick. The rest is private. Having said that, in my experience, many non-makeup wearers are quite self righteous about it, as if they gain extra points for it. The funny thing about touching up your make up in public is that many people feel they are entitled to comment on it, or on your face, or on your beauty or lack of, or their beauty and/or lack of. So it's safer to do it in private!

Don’t blame me, blame the dictionary:

vanity: excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements.

Staring at yourself, primping and preening in front of everyone else… yep, vain

Only if you expect them to pay any attention...

Alternatively her colleagues could look away and get over themselves if it bothers them that much.

She actually isn't completely entitled to react that way tbf. If op feels this is humiliating or causing an uncomfortable working environment due to being mocked she could put a grievance in.

Now, yes, the unpleasant one could then report op for putting make up on. That would then become a matter of who's 'rights' to what they feel is a pleasant working environment trump the others.

The other person would have to demonstrate how op putting make up on makes her feel uncomfortable and is offensive. Tricky given no one on a thread of 20+ pages has been able to explain this apart from "it's just not on"

Op would have to demonstrate how being mocked makes her feel uncomfortable and is offensive. Not so tricky given being mocked is a definition of an uncomfortable and offensive working environment.

The employer could ban everyone from applying cosmetics to get around this. Tricky when people use hand cream, cooling sprays, lip balm, fragrance etc.

So to sum up, yes, employees can react however they want to anything. Until someone feels offended and reports it.

There's a thriller plotline emerging here! 😄

Who are all these people who think you have to put make up on in private? Totally bizarre. It doesn’t cause any impact on other people. I do mine on the train and in the staff room at work as needed.

Alternatively: looking into the mirror to check one's appearance is OK. Looking is not the same thing as staring at oneself, primping or preening.

This thread really seems to have touched a nerve for some people, goodness knows why.

And clipping nails and plucking eyebrows is not the same as putting on mascara or concealer.

2 of these have potential to impact others because they deliberately risk parts of the person's body being left behind or floating off all over the place.

@EverythingYouDoIsaBalloon 😁 the modest no-make-up colleague who seems above reproach, is actually identifying victims based on how shallow, and therefore deserving of death she perceives them to be...
Plot twist she is incredibly vain about proud of her beautiful complexion which needs no artificial enhancements, and it transpires this enviable skin quality is all due to the dermatological benefits of human fat soap, made from her victims. Such deep irony.

At this point (and with several other recent threads in mind as well as this one) I'm genuinely wondering what women people are allowed to do in front of other people, aside from staring straight ahead and drawing as little attention to themselves as possible?

Perfect! 😄

You can administer your blessings upon the poor as long as it is not done in a patronising, or 'notice me' way

She’s not just looking in a mirror though is she, she’s doing her make up in a communal space, regularly. Re applying makeup during the work day is excessive to most people which is probably why so many find it vain.
The only touched nerve is that of the OP who started a thread about being called vain.

This thread really seems to have touched a nerve for some people, goodness knows why
Indeed. A lot of people do seem terribly triggered by the idea they might appear vain to others and terrified of a little eye-rolling about that. Not that the OP seems bothered, she seems to find the whole thing hilarious so not sure what the point it it was at all.

It’s most likely jealousy as they envisage someone who actually cares about their appearance and probably looks good whereas they let their looks abandon them a long time ago and they hate anyone else who hasn’t.

I love how people are trying to turn 'putting on makeup in front of all your colleagues' into the feminist issue of the day or that not doing it is "women being forced to stare straight ahead and draw as little attention to themselves as possible."

The wearing of makeup fullstop really isn't feminist. I do it, so do many women and I can't stand when people comment on it to you in that snarky po-faced way as if I've 'let the side down' with a bit of eyeliner, but let's not pretend it's a somehow a big feminist liberational act or that anyone who thinks doing your foundation in the cafeteria is a bit off is oppressing you and wants you to be some buttoned up supressed Victorian. Get a grip, ffs.

Oh and now I see we've got to the "they're just jealous" argument. Thought that one had been left behind some time in the 80s.

I don’t even like combing my hair in public. I think it’s because I prefer other people to only see me looking perfectly turned out, rather than witnessing the process that gets me there. I do think it’s naff to put makeup on in public.

'Most people' is a deeply subjective concept.