Body, Body Image, Face, Gender, Lifestyle, People, Self

Does Makeup Feed Our Insecurities?

Makeup

MakeupOn a night out recently with some friends we were deciding whether to continue on to another, much bigger venue. One female friend protested. Her reason? She wasn’t wearing any makeup. Being my typical self I told her to stop being so ridiculous and I (truthfully) told her she looked perfectly fine and did not need makeup on in order come out. Another lady friend was happy to make a night of it and crash at my place, but on one condition: that I had ‘good’ makeup for her to wear to work the next day. To cut a long story short, we called it a night and saved ourselves an even bigger hangover, but it did get me thinking; does makeup feed our insecurities?

I surveyed another makeup-wearing friend and asked if she would ever go to work bare-faced. The answer was no, anywhere else is fine but not work. I get it. I used to wear makeup to work every day, and I would have broken out in a cold sweat at the thought of rocking up au-natural. Since then I’ve relaxed a bit. I was feeling a bit smug recently when I thought about my new attitude to covering up my face. I was proud that I no longer felt the need to wear makeup every day and that it had become more of a fun accessory.

The smugness quickly faded when I thought about setting myself the challenge of wearing no makeup for a year. I just wouldn’t be able to do it. I thought about the occasions that would come up during the year; birthdays, parties, dates, nights on the town. There is just no way I can commit to shunning makeup for important events. There are certain times when I want to look ‘done up.’ I want to feel fresh, pretty, bronzed, sparkly, or whatever else I can achieve with makeup. There’s no denying that putting on makeup can be a lot of fun!

So, what does this say about my self-esteem? Why can’t I just be satisfied with what nature gave me? I’ve become increasingly concerned that for many makeup has stopped being something fun to play and experiment with and started to become an essential to be relied on. I understand that for some people with skin conditions or acne-scarring makeup can be the one thing that allows them to feel confident. I wouldn’t want to take that away from anyone. But I can’t help but be concerned that there seems to be a lot of women out there who feel the need to mask their face just to leave the house. I’m not ready yet, but I hope that one day I can commit to going makeup free.

Do you wear makeup? Is it a ‘sometimes’ thing or do you feel the need to wear it every day?

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    • http://sonjaouise.wordpress.com SonjaLouise

      I never wear make up, except for special occasions – only my school formals and my sister’s wedding (oh, and I will be for my wedding next year…).
      Part of the reason is that I never learned how to put it on, and the other part is that I just can’t be bothered. I have no idea how true this is, but I do know that my teenage pimple phase cleaned up much more quickly than my friends who wear make up (ironically, perhaps, to cover the pimples…).

      Anyway, it’s not necessarily that I’m really confident with how I look…it’s really more that I just don’t have the time or energy to be bothered!

    • http://explore.johnanthonyjames.com/ John James

      I have to admit that I prefer women to not wear make-up…I honestly don’t understand why people think women look better with make-up on…and women who wear “too-much” make-up look like clowns to me…

      • fender4eva

        JJ, I have to disagree. I don’t think there’s a woman alive who doesn’t look better, with some discreetly applied eyeshadow, and lippy. :-)

      • Leah

        I think when men say “Women look better without makeup”, what they really mean is “Women look better when they apply natural looking makeup well.” If you are good at doing your makeup, most of the time (apart from special events, night time functions etc)it should look like you actually aren’t wearing any. You are just you but with fresher looking skin and no bags under your eyes! I think the natural makeup look is what most men like. Personally I love a bit of no makeup action but no way would I go without for a year. it’s too much fun!

    • Amy

      I don’t think I could ever go make up free, however I rarely leave the house without putting on mascara. I have sort eyelashes so without it I feel like I have no eyelashes, and that’s just weird… I think I could go almost make up free, but I couldn’t give up my mascara!

    • Monique Fischle

      My makeup is very subtle. My foundation colour is so close to my skin tone that you can’t even tell that I’m wearing it. You may think it’s silly that I wear it but my complexion is just all over the shop and usually red, so I like to even it out. I wear make up to work every day, but sometimes it’s just tinted moisturiser, tiny bit of eyeliner and mascara.

      • Hayley Ashman

        I’m much the same with my makeup. If I wear it to work it’s usually to even out my complexion and I do think I look better with it on. Tinted moisturiser can be a lifesaver!

        • Courtney

          I do the same thing- foundation to cover redness but eye makeup or lippy on special occasions. I have never been able to figure out how to do eye liner without looking like a panda. I’m definitely not comfortable going out at night without makeup on, and I think a lot of other women are the same.

          • Hayley Ashman

            Going out is where I come undone as well. The only times I’ve done it are when after work drinks have turned into a night out. Aside from that, I always slap my face on.

    • http://tamsinhowse.com/blog Tamsin Howse

      I don’t wear foundation usually. Every day I wear eyeliner and mascara, purely because my skin is pale, my eyes are dark in colour, my hair is red, but my lashes are (my natural colour of) blonde. So I look sick.

      I used to wear foundation every day and thought I had to because my skin wasn’t flawless, but the quality of it and colouring improved from not wearing foundation. I strongly recommend giving it up on a daily basis to anyone!

      When I do wear foundation I prefer it to look like I’m not wearing any.

    • Mandi Aylmore

      Whenever I wear makeup it’s like a feeding frenzy. People just have to let me know how good it looks. I try to take what people are saying at face value, and not read into it, but sometimes the comments are so over-the-top enthusiastic it’s hard not to.

      I don’t wear makeup often. I’m tired all the time and rub my eyes, so it’s almost pointless. I think I look better with makeup, I just wish others would stop drawing attention to it. It’s makeup, it’s no big deal!

      • Hayley Ashman

        I also get comments when I go all out with my makeup. It’s nice, but I would like my bare face to get some too.

        • Mandi Aylmore

          Sad thing is I LOVE makeup. Love it. I love playing around with it and watching tutorials, but people make such a big deal about me wearing makeup I just don’t do it.

          Maybe it’s my fault for not continuing to do it so the novelty wears off?

          But I’ll be damned if I do something to make people who don’t matter to me happy.

          That was a bit of a ramble. Sorry about that :)

          • http://tamsinhowse.com/blog Tamsin Howse

            I think it’s because it’s different. I very rarely get comments on makeup and I suspect that’s because I generally look the same all the time, just sometimes better (hi there foundation) than others.

            I wouldn’t read into it.

    • Kris2040

      I don’t wear makeup. At all. I used to have some, but it was literally only the free stuff that came with magazines – it was how I had anything resembling a makeup collection.
      When I have tried wearing it, I feel strange and it makes me really self conscious, because I worry that mascara is running/smeared across my face/whatever.
      I have very dry skin, so it’s only moisturiser for me (if I remember). I just don’t have the inclination to bother. I’m also toying with cutting my hair short (if it will work) but the idea of having to “do” it every morning (and after the gym, swimming, etc) does my head in. So I leave it long enough to put in a ponytail.

      • http://tamsinhowse.com/blog Tamsin Howse

        When I cut my hair to shoulder length recently I had to spend SO much more time doing it than when it was long. Suspect I’ll never cut my hair short!

        • Kris2040

          Yeah, my main issue with it is if I go short, it really quickly turns into the Paddle Pop Lion if I don’t put stuff on it.

          I’ve been thinking about it because my hair is growing back from it falling out from pregnancy and breastfeeding (I think). Because it’s curly though, I’ve got this fuzz around the front, so I thought it wouldn’t be as annoying if I cut it a bit. Hmmm.

    • melinka

      I don’t wear makeup for work (I work in a lab, mostly on my own, so really no point), but I’ll put some mascara and lippy on for a special occasion. I have foundation but hate not being able to touch or scratch my face, so I usually just settle for a decent moisturiser instead.

      I’ve never had a full face of makeup on – I doubt I’d recognise myself!

      I do however, think my life would benefit enormously from the frequent and frivolous application of nail polish :)

    • http://mixedgems.net Veronica @ Mixed Gems

      I’ve always worn a little something through prefer a natural look. As I’ve gotten older and sleep deprived with two little ones, I feel my skin is more sallow and pale, not to mention the perpetual gray bags under my eyes. I’m also a little freckly which I think makes me look even more patchy. Even then, I usually only go for a tinted moisturiser (almost never foundation) and a little powder to tone down the shine. I used to do blush in homage to the rosy cheeks I had as a when I was younger but stopped last year. I do wear mascara now, though never used to and would happily dispense with it. Lippy, however, I need since my lips are more pale and sallow too. This doesn’t really answer your question but I think, yes, makeup can feed our insecurities but it is a very individual thing, as well as cultural thing too. I know if I had more of a tanned face, I’d just go for lippy. Then in some Asian cultures, whitening makeup is essential.

    • Jessica Chapman

      I cannot be bothered to make up every day, but I did wear it when I worked as a receptionist, but never on weekends. I usually wear make up if I know I’m going to have a photo taken, more if it’s an ID photo. I think I would be able to go a year make-up free but I cheat, I have my eyelashes tinted every three months because I can’t wear mascara everyday due to very sensitive eyes. I don’t know if I could go without dying my hair or tinting my eyelashes for a year.

    • Maree Talidu

      The only makeup I wear on a semi-regular basis is smudgy eyeliner (it’s a signature thing of mine) and concealer if my skin breaks out. I hate the way my skin feels with foundation on it, like it can’t breathe. I bust out a full face of makeup (eyeliner, mineral powder foundation, blush & tinted lip stain) for special occasions only. If you are one of those people who are inclined to wear it regularly, I would say ‘less is more’. My gosh: I’ll have yr10 students sitting there, applying their ‘covergirl’ or ‘australis’ foundation in class, staring into their compact, leaving a nice orange tide mark. The horror……..

    • http://twitter.com/26YearsCounting 26 Years & Counting

      I’ve barely ever worn make up – I’m actually now wondering if I’m so anti it that I need to look at why and maybe learn to play with it again. I would never wear it to work – I do my job well but I consider my job the least important thing in my life, so would never prioritise looking ‘good’ for it.

    • Mey Mey

      The funniest thing- is reading this and seeing in the side of the blog the girl with make up on her for the photo…

    • http://www.redcliffestyle.com/ Rachel from Redcliffe Style

      I realised years ago I was becoming like my mother. She would never let anyone see her without makeup. I had terrible acne at the time but I stopped wearing makeup to work. I worked in a law firm. My skin cleared up. 20 years later, I wear makeup when I feel like it but I’m also happy not to wear it. I’m a complete makeup lover and know I look better with it, but an easy, genuine smile can do a lot too. Great post! Rachel x

    • Pingback: Makeup | Your #1 Source for Beauty Products()

    • http://emhawker.blogspot.com/ Emily

      I wear makeups to weddings and parties and not much else. I also don’t know how to put makeup on – my only ‘look’ of tinted moisturiser, eyeliner and mascara is it. So if I started trotting that out every day, I’d have nothing special to go to for the bigger events!

    • Carla

      I believe it would only feed your insecurities if that was your motive for using make-up – for filling a gap in your perception of how you look, to make you feel better about yourself. I personally don’t have this opinion, but I can see how it might become a crutch for some people.

      On the flip side, I’ve done make-up training/masterclasses. I have a professional set of brushes and the make-up to follow. I know what make-up is used for and it’s really not what many think. It’s meant to illuminate your natural beauty not mask it – everyone has natural beauty. It’s also meant to protect your skin from the elements. So I understand the flip side too.

      This all having been said, I don’t wear make up often because most of the time I don’t have time or I’ll just chuck on some mascara and go. When I wear it, I do it properly – the whole shebang. But at the end of the day, I’m not really a morning person… Ain’t nobody got time for that!