It’s the age old debate; is wearing makeup anti-feminist? For me, it seems ludicrous that eighty five years after women gained the right to vote we are still finding ourselves in a web of debate about whether women should wear lipstick or not. We are blessed, as women to be living in today’s society. We have the vote, we have equal pay and thanks to a lifelong devotion of many incredible women, we have every right to walk, stride (or strut) alongside men on this earth. The notion that wearing makeup is oppressive is anti-feminist in itself. What happens between getting out of bed in the morning and leaving your house for work isn’t just a grooming ritual. It’s a statement, it’s you saying to the world ‘Today I took 20 minutes out of my demanding schedule, for me.’ Wearing makeup is a choice. The simple fact we have the freedom to make that choice, should be celebrated. Make up gives us the opportunity to control how we are perceived. We have the freedom to pick who sees what version of us. Yes, there is something undeniably endearing about a woman bare faced and stripped back but perhaps this is because of its rarity or because it often reserved only for those we hold closest to our hearts.
Conforming to an ideal or a uniform look could be argued as anti-feminist and clones of neat curly haired, rosy cheeked women is a kick in the teeth to women who fought so hard for us to be seen as much more than trophy wives. But, here at Faux, we don’t promote conformity, we encourage rebellion. Our belief is that makeup is art and art is expressive. In a recent debate played out in the New York Times, Natasha Scripture made a very valid point – “I don’t think makeup diminishes my power; Cleopatra is proof enough. Many consider her to be the first feminist ever and her legacy is a testimony to the fact that women can be beautiful, smart, empowered and wear a lot of eye makeup”. Makeup has historical roots in the theatre where actors would use makeup to enhance a characteristic in the role they were playing. Similarly, in everyday life, women use makeup to enhance their own characteristics and to express things about their personality in art form. If we are having a bad day we don’t bring it to work, or wallow in self-pity, we reach for our makeup bags and we face the world with a smile. A woman wearing makeup is in control. She demands attention when she enters a room. She exudes power, pride and sex appeal all at the same time. But as with everything, it has to be a choice not a requirement. A feminist who doesn’t wear makeup is no more a feminist than a woman who does. However, I can safely make the assumption that if you have found yourself reading this feature in a publication devoted to makeup, you are on the same page as me and with the right lippie we can rule the world!
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