Thursday, September 24, 2015

Jezebel is hysterical about Instagram makeup (again)

Yes, I use the term "hysterical" deliberately, because the combination of disdain and faux-naive pearl clutching in this article on Millihelen is presented as self-righteous feminism. Unrealistic beauty standards as a product of the patriarchy are a real, shitty thing: true. But no one is forcing you to use five different foundations to prepare your face for Instagram. No one is forcing you to use Instagram at all. This is some serious hyperbole:
"[...] it is assumed that, if you are under 40 years old and don’t take overwhelmingly flattering selfies, you are less of a woman. It is a terrifying assumption, one that is getting more terrifying all the time."
Come on. This is just another iteration of Jezebel's tired mocking of people who wear extreme makeup and post it on social media, disguised as social commentary or investigative journalism. "One student was so giggly and excited about the prospect of glitter, she set the women’s movement back a solid century." That is a real quotation. 

I'm sure that if they are called on it, the editors, as usual, will be all over the comments section claiming that this is satire and that the readers just don't get it. After all, the writer is a comedian. Bored now.

6 comments:

  1. Oh goody. More mocking of women from a supposed feminist site.

    This just really bothers me. Yes women wear make-up because society expects them to be pretty. This is old news. BUT it is also an art, and it's an art that is largely ignored by straight male dominated society, because ewwww women. (you have to look pretty, but no one wants to know how the sausage is made) And yet you still get guys who feel 'betrayed' when the see a picture of women with and without make-up. You know, maybe if more people understood exactly what can be done with face paint then people wouldn't feel entitled to anger when that art is revealed.

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    1. Exactly. If it was supposed to be funny, I missed the humor. All I got was people who are super into makeup are stupid and not feminists.

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  2. I'm actually kind of surprised that Jezebel would publish an article like that in this day and age. Are they not aware that vapid condescension of people interested in beauty is like, so five years ago? Have they missed out on the realization that probably 90% of their readership quite enjoys instagram makeup as a means of self expression? Are they reinventing themselves as a site directed at self-proclaimed "feminists" who really just want to feel superior to other women? Maybe instead of editors they have a shitposting algorithm; who knows?

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    1. Yes, I had all the exact same questions! Millihelen seems really hit and miss. They'll publish a really exaggerated makeup tutorial that's supposed to be fun, and then something about how stupid exaggerated makeup. And then there are the clearly sponsored posts, like the one today about Stowaway and I assume the one yesterday about Ulta. I can't figure out what they are trying to do, other than stir up controversy and cash in on the popularity of beauty stuff in social media. Maybe I just answered my own question.

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  3. Glad to see the commenters on Jezebel calling out this smug condescension masquerading as an article. It's just so uselessly mean. How does this contribute anything to the women's movement that she implies that she's so concerned with?

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    1. The more I think about it, the more I think it's just controversy-bait (i.e. clickbait). That seems to be Jia's MO. Then she can go into the comments and respond with "lol ur dum" to people who object. Though it was nice to see Jane Marie respond politely, this time, even if the essence of her comment was that they're going to keep publishing this crap because they can.

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