Why Do Women Wear Makeup?
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.
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