Before I get started, I’d like to say I'm a young hot blooded male who loves women and so this is an opinion I have formed and not one I have experienced. As a man I feel we are mostly motivated by the visual in our initial attractions to women. So I appreciate that women enjoy putting the effort in to make themselves look visually attractive for the men they care about (in the same way men enjoy doing tasks for the women we care about), however...
I've always felt a bit suspicious of the concept of makeup but only recently have I been able to intellectualise where my thoughts originate from. It's essentially a form of lying; a woman wearing makeup is presenting herself to the world with fine layers of powders and paints to delicately improve her appearance. We all enjoy a spot of grooming especially in preparation for a big event. I'm going to a wedding this weekend so I'm having my haircut and I'm lucky enough to have bought a new three piece suit recently. I'll take pride in myself for looking far more presentable than my usual nonchalance of shabbiness.
I assume that’s the same self-pride women get from applying makeup but it comes with an abhorrent twist. That pride is based upon the fact that they are happy that they currently don't look how they actually look. This is especially true when women go to a makeup specialist. Invariably it will require more powders and paints than they would apply themselves, therefore distancing their face from its natural dynamics even further.
I consider the positive/negative balance of a person’s thoughts to be a key component of Neuroplasticity. This is the theory of how our brain develops over our life and how it can affect the rest of your body. I believe a statement like 'Look how amazing my make-up is' to be a neurological equivalent to 'Look how much my face doesn't look like my actual face' If a person were to wake up every day and to think 'I really don't like the look of my face' and then proceed to wear a mask in response to this negative thought then it would become a deeply ingrained belief within themselves and have a measurable effect upon their life and body.
By reframing the statement as a celebration of the positivity of wearing make-up, in regards of how it elevates them closer to the standard model of beauty (I don't think that our standard of beauty is only imposed by society. There is a strong link to the Golden Ratio phi. http://www.intmath.com/numbers/math-of-beauty.php) it provides a temporary boost of happiness and confidence. However this is a false positive that masks the reality of the negative impact that this must have on a person’s psyche
In my eyes this cannot be good for women but I would to hear your thoughts and feelings on the topic
I think not!
It promotes that your natural self is not good enough. How can you disagree with that?
Hey man, great read here.
I have to say I nodded at a lot of what you mentioned here.
Of course, I judge no woman for feeling the need to doctor herself because of the misogynistic nature of the world we live in...and all of the "beauty lies" that are foisted onto us all.
Great topic. Upvoted and followed, yo.