Every Monday night I turn into a mindless zombie and tune in to The Bachelor on ABC. Maybe I shouldnβt have expected any better, but this yearβs Bachelor said something a few episodes back that irked me. He walked into the room of women heβs dating and woke them all up at 4 in the morning. Their first reaction is to squeal and hide their retainers, and then it cuts away to the Bachelor nobly declaring to the camera that he thinks the girls look more beautiful without makeup. Cue the swooning from every couch in America.
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But beyond this somehow romantic statement is some thinly veiled sexism β that women wear makeup to appear more attractive to men, and that men like women who are βnot like the other girlsβ who wear makeup. Itβs a catch-22: either you wear makeup and youβre high maintenance, or you donβt wear makeup and your appearance is judged. And this isnβt the only issue. Makeup has long been seen as a problem for feminists. Commercials for beauty products, the pressure to wear it or not wear it, the opinions of others on your beauty style β all of these can be problematic for feminists. But I consider myself a feminist, and I am obsessed with makeup. Itβs called βLipstick Feminism,β and itβs a faction of third-wave feminism that seeks to embrace typically feminine concepts, including sexuality and makeup. So here it is: the case for how makeup can be seen as feminist.
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First, the decision whether or not to wear makeup is feminist. Youβre deciding what to do with your own body. And boys, hereβs some advice for you: if we do decide to wear makeup, we arenβt wearing it for you. Weβre wearing it for us. And we donβt really care for your opinions about it. Feel free to throw that in our faces the next time we tell you to tuck your shirt in.
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Putting on makeup in the morning is βmeβ time, and itβs a rebellious act. We are told over and over again that we arenβt pretty enough, and for half an hour every morning I get to sit in front of a mirror, look at myself, and think βscrew that!β I get to accentuate my best features, feel better about my worst, and make my face into art. I get to spend time with just me and a mirror and feel good about myself β that feels revolutionary.
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Youtuber My Pale Skin posted a video a while ago called βYou Look Disgusting.β She had posted some pictures of herself on social media wearing no makeup and revealed her acne. Over the course of 3 months, over 100,000 people commented on her face.
The comments were cruel: βI canβt even look at her.β βWTF is wrong with her face?β βHer face is so ugly.β βYou look disgusting.β The video then shows her applying makeup, and the comments change: βYou look beautiful!β βYouβre so cute.β βI love your makeup.β And then the comments change again: βYou wear too much makeup.β βThis is false advertising.β βThis is why I have trust issues.β βTrust no f*cking b*tch with makeup.β
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As she removes her makeup, the comments change one last time to reflect the people who have acne: βWhy is this happening to me?β βMakeup is my saviour.β βI get bullied because of my skin.β βIβm learning to love myself.β
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It can sometimes feel like we canβt win, until we realize that it doesnβt matter what other people think β itβs about how we feel about our choices.
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And the same goes for men. There are men out there who want to wear makeup and who wish that it was more socially acceptable. But in the words of makeup artist Jaclyn Hill, βYou do you boo, and screw the rest!β If you want to wear makeup, it doesnβt matter where you fall on the gender spectrum. Do what feels right for you and own it! Manny Mua is an awesome Youtuber and self-proclaimed βboy beauty bloggerβ who proves that anyone can wear makeup if they want to.
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People who wear makeup are not vain or obsessed with their looks. Itβs something that makes them feel good, and no one should judge them for that. No one is better or worse than anyone else because they do or donβt wear makeup. You do you, boo!