Does a true Feminist wear makeup?

[Reverend Rick]

I think women should do what makes them happy, and I have heard that wearing makeup makes them feel pretty or gives them confidence.

The thing is, should you need something to be confident? What does this actually mean to be dependant on a product?

Are lipstick Feminists really true Feminists?

 

[Treks]

Hi Reverend Rick

I don't know much about feminism and I'm not sure if I'm a feminist, but I'm interested in gender issues and equality (whatever that is).

Regards to makeup, I persoanlly don't wearmuch if any, and as a teen in school I did feel that I shouldn't be required to wear it simply for being a woman, and that my femininity is not increased by wearing it or decreased by not wearing it.

However when I entered the workforce, and began to face pressure and stress, I began to wear foundational makeup and lipstick to try and cover up the redness of my face when I blushed when confronted by a difficult customer, or had blemishes that I became self-conscious about in front of customers/clients.

When I went from a front-line customer service role to an executive assistant role it became more important as I was not just an entry-level employee anymore but representing my employer in front of a range of people from regular customers to policians and investors. Now I'm in a slightly different role in my company I don't often wear makeup unless I know it's going to be a difficult day and I'll be seen by important clients or working with challenging groups of people.

The burden now I think, is that a woman isn't 'complete' in a professional sense without appropriate makeup. It's like coming to work half dressed. Like a man coming to the formal office without a tie.


I think makeup has more to do with being completely well presented than it does with feminism. But I don't know much about the issue.

Hairy armpits on the other hand, *cracks knuckles*...

 

[MissAlice]

I think women should do what makes them happy, and I have heard that wearing makeup makes them feel pretty or gives them confidence.

The thing is, should you need something to be confident? What does this actually mean to be dependant on a product?

Are lipstick Feminists really true Feminists?

I love makeup but it tends to irritate my skin no matter what the products except lip gloss and some eye liners but even then it's too much of a hassle for me even though I love the way it looks. I think a woman or man should wear whatever makes them feel confident. That said, some jobs require their men in suits, shaven and looking "the part" just as women who go through all that trouble with hair, makeup, expensive and "professional looking clothes" to look their part. Not all of us like what we wear but whatever keeps a roof over your head and food on the table. Some people love looking the part and some of us suck it up and do it reluctantly when we're not in the mood.

 

[Horrorble]

I don't think true confidence comes from what you look like. My job makes we confident and no amount of make up can prepare you for it.

 

[Horrorble]

@treks- it's all about hairy arm pits

 

[Amechania]

I wear lipstick sometimes, and eyeliner. They accentuate my features and I look and feel sexier, when I want to look and feel sexier.

 

[Kerr]

I think women should do what makes them happy, and I have heard that wearing makeup makes them feel pretty or gives them confidence.

The thing is, should you need something to be confident? What does this actually mean to be dependant on a product?

Are lipstick Feminists really true Feminists?

I doubt feminism has anything against makeup.

 

[Rakhel]

I doubt feminism has anything against makeup.

I wouldn't be so sure of that.

...
Luckily, through Facebook and Twitter I found several feminists and allies who do not support SlutWalk for a variety of reasons. I want to highlight some of the counterpoints and some of the voices that are not being amplified.
Link Round Up: Feminist Critiques of SlutWalk | Feminist Frequency

 

[Sand Dancer]

I would think a feminist would not want to have to "fix" her face and that she should be accepted as is, like a man would be.

 

[Willamena]

I think women should do what makes them happy, and I have heard that wearing makeup makes them feel pretty or gives them confidence.

The thing is, should you need something to be confident? What does this actually mean to be dependant on a product?

Are lipstick Feminists really true Feminists?

The wearing of makeup has nothing to do with feminism.

 

[Kerr]

I wouldn't be so sure of that.

I didnt find a reference to makeup in it. But I could be blind, will take a closer look a little later.

 

[Kerr]

I would think a feminist would not want to have to "fix" her face and that she should be accepted as is, like a man would be.

I absolutely think that women shouldnt have to wear makeup. It should be her choice and she should be accepted no matter if she wears it or not.

 

[Quintessence]

I regard the issue of glamour standards to be quite separate from that of feminism. My dislike of makeup has more to do with the fact that I broadly dislike people who present false masks, and the falseness of makeup occurs in both sexes. The only area my feminism would enter into it is where double standards occur that have discriminatory consequences. For example, the expectation that women should wear makeup but that men shouldn't is extremely problematic. For example, at a job interview, an interviewer may pass over a female candidate because she isn't wearing makeup, but if a male candidate doesn't wear makeup this will not raise any flags whatsoever. That's fundamentally wrong.

 

[Reverend Rick]

The wearing of makeup has nothing to do with feminism.

I think you better research the subject a little deeper as it is an issue for the purest of Feminists. :sorry1:

 

[Reverend Rick]

Please allow an old Feminist to educate some of you all. First off, read the OP, I have said I support women doing what they want, but if you want to wrap your brain around sexism, women wearing shoes that hurt their feet to "look good" need to rethink things a bit.

Why not wear a corset which binds you so tight you cannot breath as well?

!00 years from now, pumps will be gone with the corset and women will wear footwear that is comfortable and does not cause damage.

Yes, women should do as they like unless it causes them damage. Why would you suffer an injury just to "look good"? This is about self image and until a woman can look at herself in the mirror and be satisfied with what she sees without dye, paint, and discomfort you are victims of sexism by your own doing.

 

[SageTree]

This sort of leads me to wonder a question like 'can you consider yourself a manly ,man if you don't keep. a beard?

My thought on both..... it sort of over simplfies 'it all' to superficiality.....

Therfore, I say of course you can be a feminist and wear lip stick.

 

[Penumbra]

I think women should do what makes them happy, and I have heard that wearing makeup makes them feel pretty or gives them confidence.

The thing is, should you need something to be confident? What does this actually mean to be dependant on a product?

Are lipstick Feminists really true Feminists?

Eh, I wouldn't want to be in the business of determining which strands of feminism are true feminism.

I think just about everyone needs something to be confident. At the extreme end, most people wouldn't go out into public naked after not bathing or grooming for a week, for example. So that's a starting point. More realistically, people tend to be more confident if they view themselves as looking good (whatever it may be, wearing flattering clothes, a man with a clean-shaven face, being in great shape, etc.) or perhaps more precisely, if they are able to express themselves in the way they feel is fitting. So the real question would be, how much should people need to feel confident?

I rarely wear makeup, except for nail polish which I do wear sometimes. I do spend time on my appearance such as through moisturizing, epilating, giving myself facials, doing my nails, and most importantly exercising and eating right to be in good shape with healthy skin and hair, but I tend to view naturalistic and comfortable beauty as the ideal, so I minimize anything that needs to be maintained on a daily basis, like the daily application of make up. So, there's never anything artificial on my face in a regular day. I just like to feel comfortable and to look in a way that I feel is fitting. Different cultures, even hunter-gatherers, tend to have times when men and women dress up for things, alter or paint their bodies in some way, and it can be an expression of art, culture, self, masculinity, femininity, entertainment, and so forth. I don't mind spending more time on my appearance for a special event including something on my face; it can be fun.

The only real problem I have with make-up is when there is a cultural expectation that women should always wear it. That they're missing something without it. That men look fine as they are with just a haircut and a shave, but women need more. That it's okay or even expected for women to wear painful shoes. A lot of women wouldn't be caught dead outside without make up on. I literally don't think my aunt has left her property without make-up on for decades; to propose that she does so would sound to her like proposing she go out naked- completely alien and out of the question. I do think it becomes unhealthy if make-up becomes viewed as a necessity to face life each day, that without it there is incompleteness.

 

[Alceste]

I don't think feminists care. From my own perspective, one of the main perks of having thought through gender related issues more than a little in my life is that I care more about what's going through a woman's mind than what she looks like.

In general, unless there's a good reason for it (like a burlesque show ) I don't wear make-up except for lipstick that is almost the same colour as my actual lips. I hardly know anybody who does. It just seems like a pain in the *** to me. I don't even do anything to my hair. Occasionally I shave my legs and pits, but mostly just in the summer.

I guess when a woman feels like she HAS TO do up her face before going out in public I feel sorry for her because I assume she's got abnormally low self-esteem. Doing it for fun is a whole different story.

My mother felt like she couldn't leave the house without putting on lipstick and mascara. She had pretty low self esteem, but she's older and wiser now.

 

[Alceste]

This sort of leads me to wonder a question like 'can you consider yourself a manly ,man if you don't keep. a beard?

My thought on both..... it sort of over simplfies 'it all' to superficiality.....

Therfore, I say of course you can be a feminist and wear lip stick.

Au contraire. You must have a beard to be a real man.

 

[crossfire]

In my style of feminism, the issue of make up is waaaaaayyy down near the bottom of my list of priorities.