Why Do Women Wear Makeup?

ByMICHELLE KING Aug 8 2013

Like many women, I began nearly each day by applying makeup. Not every day,
but, yes, on most days I wear makeup. So, why do I — and countless other
women — begin our days with foundation, blush, and mascara? Well, I could feed
you the "I wear it for myself" line you've heard a thousand times before, but, if I'm
being completely honest, that would be a lie. Yes, in some way I am doing it for
myself — but only because looking a certain way makes me feel good. That's the
part of the "I wear it for myself" argument that people always fail to tack on. Now,
maybe there are women who wear full faces of foundation just to sit alone in their
bedrooms, but I'm not one of them, and most of the women I meet aren't either.

The reason most women are adverse to speaking candidly about their reasons for
wearing makeup ("I want to project a certain image out into the world. I wear it for
myself, but so I can feel more comfortable in how I present myself to others.") is
because most people would digest such a statement as a tacit admission of
vanity. The assumption is that, if you wear makeup and you admit it's not just for
yourself, then you are shallow and vain. But this is not necessarily true. The issue
isn't whether or not women are applying makeup for other people, but rather their
impetus for doing so.

Makeup can be a form of self-expression and character. What's especially

interesting about makeup is that it's one of the only forms of expressions primarily
for women. Even fashion is becoming a more prominent way for men to express
themselves, but, for the most part, makeup has remained just for women. It's this
idea that has paved the way for many of the sexist assumptions that get made
about a woman wearing makeup — that's she's only doing it for male attention,
that the only thing she's interested in is looking hot, that without makeup she feels
worthless and unattractive.

There are women who alter their appearances with makeup and beauty
procedures for the attention and approval of their male counterparts. I don't say
this as a condemnation, especially since it wasn't too long ago that I could relate. I
spent most of high school caking orange bronzer on my face and sitting with Crest
White Strips on my teeth. In my mind, being tan and having shiny, white teeth
were top priorities. Only later, as I became more comfortable with myself, did I
realize that my goals for wanting to look a certain way were petty, rooted in vanity
and narcissism. When I do step outside my day-to-day routine of tinted
moisturizer, concealer, lip stain, blush, and mascara, the goal isn't necessarily to
look "hot" or "sexy," but it is to express myself in a certain way and then have
others see that form of self-expression. I'm not wearing makeup "for me," but I'm
not wearing it for males either. Those aren't the only two options.

What I — and most of the women I know who are passionate about cosmetics —
like about makeup isn't that the right gloss can make your lips poutier or that false
lashes can make your eyes more doe-like. Rather, it's how women can
communicate messages and express ourselves through makeup. Certainly it's not
our single factor of communication, but it's one of many forms of expression that
allow us to showcase our individual styles.

Perhaps no medium has showcased this idea better than beauty blogging. There
are so many inspired beauty bloggers out there that don't just merely focus on
product reviews and doling out tips for the perfect cateye. Makeup artist and
photographer Robin Black uses her blog Beauty is Boring to showcase looks that
are not just beautiful, but creative and expressive, as well. For Black, the end
game of makeup is not to be beautiful. She writes in the about page of her blog,
"For as long as I can remember, I've had a love / hate relationship with beauty. It's
a complicated, subjective thing." Instead of doing glamorous or sexy looks, Black
creates pieces of art through makeup, making everything from bandit masks made
out of orange lipstick to eye makeup looks inspired by the stars in the sky. Black's
blog is proof that makeup can indeed be a form of artistic expression.

BEAUTY IS BORING? Of course, not everyone is interested in wearing a mask

made out of lipstick. Artistic expressions of makeup do not have to be that overt.
Arabelle Sicardi, the twenty-year-old blogger behind Fashion Pirate, uses beauty
products to help create the overall image that she is interested in portraying. Her
beauty blog,Powder Doom, provides tons of information about beauty basics, but
also has a distinct focus on the ways in which beauty products can be used to
showcase your personality.