Make up or no makeup
I was inspired by a recent post I read on psycologytoday.com about why the ‘No Makeup Look’ is creating a dilemma for some women. The article got me thinking about my own relationship with makeup, as a woman in her 30s. In particular, what I reach for daily and more importantly, why.
In my opinion, makeup is a form of expression and for most women also a necessity. There is something so satisfying about putting on makeup and seeing yourself transform into the person you need to be to face the day or at the minimum, generally not look like you’ve just rolled out of bed! When I think back to my teen years, when I first starting using makeup, it was all about covering up and hiding behind a mask since I was embarrassed about my skin. Now it’s more of an enhancement of my natural self.
In reference to the article by Psychologytoday, how you look on the outside can have an enormous impact on your self-esteem. According to the article, women who wear makeup are often perceived as more confident and are more likely to have job positions with more responsibility than women who don’t wear makeup. This is consistent throughout history as makeup was seen as a way to enhance attractiveness, health, and vitality to the opposite sex. Having rosy cheeks meant you were more fertile and red lips ensued sex appeal.
Social media is putting pressure on most women to look flawless, causing some women to feel increasingly more anxious, self-conscious and pressured to conform. Whereas women who wear less makeup appear to have higher social confidence, emotional stability, and self-esteem since they do not need to try to conform as much.
It’s interesting how the tables have somewhat turned. Women who are seen as wearing ‘natural looking’ makeup are the ones who must be confident in themselves and have higher self-esteem than those conforming to the ‘over done’ stage/Instagram makeup look. Do you agree?
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