Here's what she says about it.
I'm too weary of hashtag campaigns to form a truly coherent opinion on this, so why don't you tell me what you think?
Here are my scattered thoughts: lots of women who don't want to wear makeup already don't wear makeup. But it's shitty that other women, especially but not exclusively public figures, who don't want to wear makeup feel pressured to do so when their male counterparts don't. I totally agree that makeup should not be a requirement and that it's no fun if you're just wearing it because you think you aren't good enough or won't be treated properly without it. I understand that pressure myself. It's especially shitty for girls in middle school and high school who are still figuring out who they are.
(Also, isn't it nice that someone can feel good about how her face looks without makeup when she has a professional photographer and excellent lighting?)
But people--women and men--wear makeup for a lot of other reasons besides "covering up," and there's something troubling, I think, about suggesting that someone who wears makeup must be insecure or fake or hiding something. It's that whole "take her swimming on the first date" bullshit, which is a strange sentiment coming from a woman who says in her essay that she is sick of the judgement of other women.
It's fine as a personal choice, and the desire to connect with other people who feel the same way makes sense. But the idea that #nomakeup needs to be a social movement ("revolution") is where she loses me.
This came up in a reddit discussion I was lurking in yesterday, and it was mentioned that some women are even told that they're required to wear makeup to work, and how in other discussions we've been told to wear it differently. I wear bare face often enough, but I have been told in the past by an employer that I was breaking the company hygiene policy by not wearing makeup. (Let me be clear... I was showering regularly and taking care of personal hygiene just fine. I just wasn't wearing makeup on days I didn't feel like it.) And to be frank... That's the sort of thing that needs to stop.
ReplyDeleteThe judgement of people who do wear makeup needs to stop, too. While I no longer work for the above employer, I've gotten more and more into makeup as I've entered my 30s, and it's not because I feel like I have to cover something up. I simply have come to enjoy it. Makeup is fun, and I enjoy the artistry of it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Hygiene? That is beyond ridiculous. I'm glad to hear you don't work there anymore.
DeleteThat's how I feel too, and I also wear much more makeup now than I used to. In my profession, I would guess as many women don't wear makeup as do, and I think there is a bit more judgement of women who wear "too much" than none at all. Ideally we could all just do what we wanted with our own faces.
It's an extension of the be-natural-EVERYTHING craze that's been sweeping about. Great choice for some, not to be enforced on everyone else, and not always logical.
ReplyDeleteOh I didn't even think of that. She does make a comparison with feeling pressured to control her hair, but at least she doesn't mention scary chemicals.
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ReplyDeleteI agree! Good for Alicia Keys, but not everyone who wears makeup has the intention of "hiding" themselves. Makeup is an art form, in a sense, and also a means for self-expression. Also, whatever happened to just doing what you want and letting others do what they want with their faces? Eh, I think the sense of self-love they're promoting is misplaced.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it's nice to provide an example for people who want to be able to go without makeup, and I'm glad that she reached a point where she can do what she thinks is more authentic to who she is. But if someone is so insecure that they feel they cannot be seen without makeup, telling them to just stop wearing it isn't very helpful.
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