Go bare-faced for CIN

[TheFutureSupremeRulersMum]

I just saw a friend put a photo on FB that she is going bare-faced today for CIN. BBC link.

I find it depressing that this is considered a worthy/impressive thing to do. She's also put that she's sorry if she scares anyone with the photo and then a friend has commented on how brave she is as the friend wouldn't even answer the door without makeup on.

The whole thing has made me feel rather down.

Oh. I kind of thought when you said bare faced you meant shaving eyebrows and eyelashes (I appreciate now that was a slightly odd assumption!)

I go bare faced everyday. Nothing to do with being brave and everything to do with the fact I never have time because I'd always prefer another 10 minutes in bed

People comment when I put make up on as its so unusual

Ditto on the bare-faced everyday thing. Partly because I want an extra 10 minutes in bed but mostly because I can't see the point anyway. I don't want to become a slave to looking a certain way that takes a lot of effort and money (how much do people spend on makeup a month?!) when I look fine as is.

This has been bothering me too, glad to see it raised here. It is making out that for a woman to go without make up is unusual and odd - but I am bare faced every day! And what about men, the majority of whom are bare faced every day too?

Really bothers and annoys me too - the fact that women feel they have to apologise for looking like them rather than wearing make-up and that it's regarded as a big deal to be 'bare-faced'.
I rarely wear make up. I don't like it, I feel like a fraud when wearing it as if I'm a child who's been caught messing around with her mum's make-up box. I also can't think about factoring in extra time in the morning when I could be snuggling in bed with my DC.

I think it's 'brave' to do it when their job depends on their looks (that's a whole other issue!) but it's clear that photoshop, studio lighting and 'invisible' make up has been used in the celeb photos. I couldn't care less and am glad they're doing something for charity, but they can't even have truly natural, make-up free women in a feature about make-up free women

Women in their true form are hideous, obvs

Lovely to see Alex Jones' freckles, though! Had no idea she had them!

This totally winds me up too. As i get older I become more and more comfortable with my face - not less. wearing makeup is a fun thing to do - when I fancy it.

I don't need a stupid paw print on my face to point out my natural good looks ;)

Most of them are wearing make up in that link anyway (rachel Stevens has really obvious lipstick on) What a bloody farce

Anyway I agree with most of the posts. I am another who doesn't wear make up day to day either. Don't think I scare anyone

Why should being without make up seem like such an oddity

I would think that me wearing make up would be a bigger statement.

I would probably have to go out and buy new make up though, as I haven't put any on since January, when we had our work Christmas party and I was basically told to 'scrub up'.

Vanessa Feltz looks very nice without make up though!

Surely all of the younger ones in that link are wearing eye make up?

I was about to say "how pathetic" but then it suddenly clicked that many women are actually genuinely scared, not just pretending (though plenty of that too) of appearing in public without make-up on. It's so dispiriting. How can anyone live like that? And how can it be seen as so abnormal in some places/workplaces to appear without make-up?

Do women who always wear make-up notice other women who don't?

I hardly ever wear it in the week (exceptions - interviews, other special events) and a minimal amount going out at weekends. Going out after work I wouldn't always have worn it either actually.

Kind of weird to make it into such a big thing.

I used to slabber it on and would never be seen in public without it (I had the same issue with my glasses and wore my contacts even when my eyes felt like sandpaper). Yet now just a few years later I NEVER wear it....What changed?? Well, I had my children, ran out of time to think about myself, ceased caring what men (besides my husband) thought and hey presto!!!

I look back on how I used to be and the money I used to spend trying to be acceptable to people/men, and CRINGE!!! All these slebs promoting this bare faced rubbish really are smart enough to know better.

It's sad isn't it.

CiN are tapping into something real though - lots of women feel really embarrassed to be seen out without make up. They get into the habit of wearing it when they're young and then don't feel properly dressed without it. It's only in the last couple of years that I've got out of the habit of automatically slapping make up on purely as an unthinking, automatic grooming thing, I'd no more think of going out without make up than without brushing my hair and teeth.

Even now I wouldn't go to work without make up on. I just wouldn't feel as if I was properly dressed for the office. In spite of the fact that I rub it all off by about 10 O'Clock anyway, so in effect I don't wear it at work for most of the day. So it's not even about what I look like (by lunchtime I definitely look like I've got no make up on, because I haven't!), it's completely about having done it in the first place, like some kind of magic talisman.

And yet if I'm not going to work, I just don't wear it anymore at all, unless I'm going out on a special occasion - theatre, party, play whatever.

It's awful to think we're expected to find it some sort of massive courageous act to appear in public looking like ourselves though. Because we're clearly so unacceptable without it.

I wear make-up everyday. Even when I'm not leaving the house. I have done since I was about 14, which is almost 30 years ago. My mother also always wears make up.

My look is far more natural now, than it used to be and I question why I do it more & more. I would love to be confident enough to not bother, but i also feel as though i'm being lazy (like not brushing my hair, or ironing clothes) if i don't wear it.

My DS's have also started to question why I need to wear it, so I am trying to wear less & less with the aim of eventually going without.

I do feel very uncomfortable about the way I look without it. I do also notice whether other women wear it. if somebody who usually wears it doesn't have any on I tend to think they look more tired or older without it, but conversely if someone who doesn't normally wear it has some on, I think that it looks a bit odd & wonder why they put it on.

I do completely realise that my thoughts are irrational and I'm really not judging other women, just making an observation to myself.

I do think it's ridiculous that the CIN campaign makes an issue out of women not wearing make-up. Especially as they obviously do have some light powder/lip balm or whatever on.

I thought this might be a generational thing until today when I took my 80 year old mum out for the day and she couldn't leave till she had made her face up. I am a hideous tomboy and have never got into the habit of wearing make-up.
Like WOT I feel like a kid who raided the dressing up box when I go out for an evening made up.
I am glad my DDs only wear light mascara and lipgloss instead of that awful pancake foundation that seems so common among the young

pacificjade

I rarely wear make up - trying to think when I last wore it and I've got to 5 years. I also never iron.

Nothing to do with being lazy, more to do with being practical.

That's a good point sashh. Men aren't considered lazy for not wearing make-up everyday. They wouldn't consider themselves lazy either. Same for ironing.

I saw a picture yesterday that's stated that women are subjected to 400 images a day telling them how they looked. All of those images will have women wearing make-up. Women are taught it is perfectly normal for them to have to wear make-up to improve their looks. In fact it is their obligation. It isn't weird at all.

I have a face full of spots, looking in the mirror gets me down, going bare faced right now is a necessity to try not to make it worse. I wish I could cover them
up, I am unfortunately not a natural beauty, so beautiful women going 'bare faced' I don't think is much if a challenge! Good they raised money though!

Sash I don't think other women are lazy if they don't wear it, I just assume they don't want to for whatever reason. I just meant it has become such an ingrained part of my morning routine that I feel like I've missed something out. This really is my perception of what I feel I should do, and not other women. I am so used to seeing my made-up face, that my natural one looks wrong, if you know what I mean. I really want to change that feeling, but am finding it very difficult.

With regards to men, I think shaving is sort of equivalent. I think that most men do feel a pressure to be clean shaven. My DH usually has a short beard & over the years he has had a huge number of comments about him being too lazy to shave.

I also find it a little sad that so many women feel unable to leave the house without their stage panstick on. To me, it's a symptom of low self esteem. I hope lots of people try this thing but I can understand that a radical change of look (depending on how much makeup people wear usually) can be embarrassing to handle.

Going back to your first post Jade I think it's another way women are held to a higher standard than men. The result is that 'we' get used to women looking a certain way and it has become the norm.
That said I've had women express envy at my happiness to go make up free and often surprise that I can ' get away with it'. I'm sure most women would be pleasantly surprised if they didn't wear make up at how normal they look xx

You're right, I think I should probably try to leave the house without looking in a mirror, and be pleasantly surprised that nobody runs away from me screaming just cos I haven't got my 'face' on.