Going 'no makeup'

[LadyBlaBlah]

I know it's trivial and as feminists must think only of FGM however I'm getting fed up with the time, cost, effort and most of all the reasons why I wear make up.

I've been wearing it blindly since about aged 14 so it will weirdly be a big change, and my small act of rebellion against the p.

Anyone else a no makeup person?

I wear makeup for work (so 5/7 days a week) and special occasions. Not much, but it is noticeable. It's completely socialised for me - I think I look better with it but that's because my idea of what makes a woman look "better" (pretty/attractive/younger/presentable???) is dictated by society. I don't care whether other women do wear makeup or not, but I do apply that standard to myself. But I'm not terribly good at treating myself in a feminist way.

I should add that although I say I don't care what other women wear wrt makeup (and I don't) I realise I'm still enforcing standards of beauty myself when I wear makeup despite objecting to aforesaid standards

It's also a disability issue - if you don't have the fine hand control for eye makeup or lip liner, then being expected to wear it in order to look "professional" is a problem. I remember being a teenager and my mother telling me I would have to learn to put makeup on if I ever wanted to catch a man.
Few years later after various men were caught, I knew that was rubbish. I wear the odd bit of lipstick but that's about it. And I figured MrNC was a serious contender for life partner when he told me one thing he loved about me was that I could get ready for a ball in under 10 minutes.

It's always been women who judge my looks - even the most misogynist men judge on chances of getting their cock in instead.

I remember being a teenager and my mother telling me I would have to learn to put makeup on if I ever wanted to catch a man.

When I was see a counsellor after my mother's death, relationships came up, and I mentioned my mother had come out with some gems over the years, including me being too selfish for anyone to ever love me. I was saying that an inner part of me wondered if it was true, , however much my rational mind knew otherwise, and I didn't think my personality was that awful. She said I should consider the whole package, and maybe if the outer package would attract them in, I should consider wearing make-up or dyeing my hair or wearing heels

Still single, on the grounds that anyone who thinks I'm only worth the effort when I'm wearing make-up isn't worth my effort at all.

Wore make up 16 - 22 ish, then gave up and haven't worn it since; I'm now 50. I stopped as part of my rebellion against the 80's excesses - and haven't had any negative comments even when in professional client facing roles :-) People care much more about what they look like themselves than how other people look.

My skin is great and I only use water to wash - soap if it's is actually dirty or I've been to the city.

PS - I've just stopped colouring my hair too so I can go fully and properly grey (and hopefully gracefully).
I'm happy to be 50 and it got depressing sitting in meetings looking at all our carefully dyed hair that looks so flat, contrived and unnatural.

The feminist make-up was a parody, not an instruction manual, wasn't it?

I would never ever wear that style of makeup although I can admire it on other women.

Foundation/blusher/lipstick would be rather a lot of makeup for me, whereas my going out/special occasion slap is eyeliner/mascara/'groomed' eye brows/tinted moisturiser - so ever what consists of 'light makeup' varies between us

I don't think that any makeup makes anybody look younger, and some young women certainly look older when they are all made up (?I wonder whether that is the desired effect at times), but personally I think I look more 'awake' when I put some mascara on. Why that should matter, I don't know….

The 'professional' argument I don't get either: I think it depends v much on the profession. In the City or Blue Chip companies I'd never get away with my get up , however in my profession 'clean and tidy' is enough and 'full-on slap' is fine too, as is anything in between.

No.
Quite.

I very rarely wear make-up. My mother hardly ever did so it wasn't really on my radar when I was growing up.* I have been through phases when I've felt a bit more vulnerable to societal pressure and sort of tried to get into it but soon abandoned it because a) I resented the amount of time it took and b) I am utterly ham-fisted and impatient and don't make a good job of it (for the same reason, I don't do much with my hair either). I also absolutely don't suit eyeshadow or lipstick.

I exercise a great deal so I figure there isn't much point in applying make-up directly before getting very sweaty. I sometimes wear a bit of mascara and concealer if I go out for an evening but otherwise I don't bother. No-one cares (or at least have never let me know their opinion!) I have a few friends who never wear make-up, some who wear it occasionally and quite a few who won't leave the house without it.

*My daughter is pretty interested in make-up and hair styling so she's got clearly got those genes from the other side of the family. Not that my OH wears make-up either though

I have started pressuring myself into wearing make-up, as I am Getting Older, and I know that, in a patriarchy, I will be relegated to complete irrelevance if I don't look fuckable comply with current norms of beauty, at least a little.

It's one of those compromises I make with the p. I'm pissed off that the need for the compromise exists, but I am aware that I am complying to a degree, and why, and it feels a little bit icky and a little bit necessary.

And then I systematically get compliments on how I look (from women). This pisses me off even more, as I feel I am being congratulated for handmaidenry. By people I love, to boot!

So I'm doing the inverse route to you, LadyBlahBlah: starting to face-paint after years of feeling that make-up was a pointless and patriarchal faff.

It's still an experiment at this stage, though, so I may yet drop the new foundation-and-eyeliner habit. This thread makes me realise I probably should.

In emergencies mascara, it stops me looking like a codfish, thirty years ago I had no idea what my mother was talking about.
Now I do.
Other than that no make up.

great post bodingading

your first one! (just RTwholeFT)

I went make-up free about a year ago for the reasons the OP is considering. It was fine but it does sometimes make me feel like I am projecting "humourless old boot" a bit. When actually I am an old boot with a sparkling personality!

I wore makeup once when I was 18, and then once (lipsticks) for taking a passport photo 20 years ago. Now I don't own makeup.

Someone did tell me that when I'm older I will be wearing makeup. I'm still waiting for it to happen.

But I agree that this is a feminist issue.

I also agree that it's a feminist issue, as evidenced by the use of language around it. Many women I know will say things like: 'I can't leave the house without make-up' or 'I need to put my face on'. These tend to be the same women who say they 'must' shave their legs before going swimming.

Bit of a tangent but I was chatting to a woman at the gym the other day who said she was off for a bikini wax because if anyone were to see her pubic area, 'they'd think it was disgusting'. I thought that was so sad.

Having said all of this. I worked with two guys. One was ginger haired and other had white hair and both in their twenties and both dyed their hair religiously. I only knew the red heads actual hair colour due to childhood photos being shown.

I am always a bit about women who proclaim how little make up they need to wear and how unnecessary it is. I have an aunt and cousin like this. They are both strikingly beautiful. I have fought the good fight against my acne and dry skin for twenty years. On the days where I lose the battle I put on makeup.

For those of you with skin that is broadly the same colour all over and doesn't erupt into pustules congratulations. If you wake up with broadly straight hair and the correct number of teeth in your head facing the right way good for you. You look as society expects you to look. I just cannot bring myself to feel strongly about the socialisation argument because there are so many women doing almost every variation possible. And i know that I don't know why someone is wearing what they are wearing but as an adult they made that choice for themselves. I think the conversation should focus on the discussion that women's bodies are not up for public conversation rather than suggesting that a bit more feminist backbone would help you put the concealer down.

(My skin is looking awful for the last month. I am wearing foundation, concealer, eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss- I feel bloody epic and I still believe in gender equality. And even if my skin was having a good run and I put on unneeded make up I would still believe in equality)

Didn't aristocratic men in the regency period wear make up?

Any historians around who can enlighten us to its demise?

I am in my 50's and started wearing make-up as a teenager to cover up spots.

My skin has cleared over the years but I find that I tend to "pick" at my skin if I am not wearing make up. I think it's anxiety related and I can make a right mess of my face. I never touch my face if I'm wearing make-up.

I couldn't give a rat's arse what other people do and whether it makes me look attractive or not. It just makes me feel better.

Who invented makeup anyway?

The ancient Egyptians were using make up so it was invented thousands of years ago!

It may even pre date patriarchy.