Lipstick feminism: Why makeup does not contradict independence
After I conducted the experiment, trying to change my own stereotypical image of make-up, I came to contradictory conclusions. There were more questions than answers - including about the representation of women in popular culture, about the role of the Internet in the sales of cosmetic giants, about our desire to look even better, about shame for using cosmetics and not only. It seems that in our reality, the choice of wearing makeup or not becomes something more than just an aesthetic preference.
I started the experiment, because, on the one hand, I did not have time for the constantly rising “ideal” bar, and on the other, I was ashamed that I could not do it without makeup. How, for example, can soul-diva Alisha Keese, who now appears everywhere without makeup. An essay about the refusal to be beautiful, which the singer published in the Lena Dunham magazine, spread all over the world and turned into accusations of hypocrisy - how much money did she spend on caring for her "imperfect skin"? The degree of intensity was comparable with the fact that if she was suspected of infidelity to their political views.
Writer Naomi Wolfe in the book “The Myth of Beauty,” argued that the ideals of appearance offered by the cosmetic industry and based on the tastes of men, for many years kept women in true captivity - and everything from makeup to plastic surgery. According to Wulf, make-up is an instrument of control that guards patriarchal desires. But why can not I enjoy the makeup and not consider myself a victim? Otherwise, all this is more like a continuation of the very patriarchal scheme in which women's hobbies are not rethought, but depreciate.
In 1983, American writer and journalist Letty Kottin Pogrebin in her article “The Power of Beauty” talked about a friend who had increased her chin and was very pleased. “How should a feminist respond to such a radical intervention? Congratulate or show your disapproval?” - Pogrebin asked herself. “Whose understanding of attractiveness is behind the decision to change ourselves? We can argue about what is attractive, but not about what we attract to ourselves. All that we can do is offer society a broader view of beauty,” she pondered. Pogrebin. It is worth starting to talk about the intricacies of the social significance of makeup, as it turns out that it is easier to really throw away the cosmetic bag.
← Naomi Wolf, "Beauty Myth"
With the advent of the bodipositive era, cosmetic companies have willy-nilly tailored to the agenda: now brands sell products that will help us "start liking ourselves." A lot of money is needed for “tolerable” make-up: cosmetics manufacturers have made plans for every square centimeter of our face. Paradoxically, in spite of the fact that more and more women, like Alisha Kees, refuse to use cosmetics, cosmetic companies only increase profits.
Exact statistics on the use of beauty products is difficult to find, especially for Russia. But, for example, in America for the year on makeup spent about 426 billion dollars. Regarding the #nomakeup movement, which was widely spread on the Internet last year, the president of the Estée Lauder group of companies, Jane Hertzmark Hudis, simply said: “This is a fleeting story. Social networks play a significant role in this: we are dragged on a strong leash of one's own ego, slipping a foundation with the words "camera ready" that cannot be resisted - after all, selfies will then instantly go to Instagram.
The most adequate turning point in the debate on the role of makeup and the choice of a woman, perhaps, was the moment when, at the end of the 80s, Andrea Robinson invited her bosses in Revlon to create a line of Nakeds, the means for today's usual nude makeup. It was intended for women who did not want their makeup to be noticeable. This gave at least some choice instead of completely ignoring it: it became possible to look natural, while still maintaining the ritual itself - for yourself. As Robinson recalled, from her bosses she received the following answer: “Why would a woman suddenly want to wear" slush "on her face? Make-up is a fantasy, a color." Andrea recalled: "They talked about their own fantasies, their sense of color. The very idea that women want to be themselves, to wear make-up for themselves, seemed insane to them." When the Nakeds brand was introduced to the general public, it broke all sales records.
There are various points of view in feminist discussions. While the third wave says with confidence that a woman is free to do everything with her body and appearance that brings her pleasure, critics insist that this approach has a downside. If any act of free will is accepted unconditionally, then what about the context in which these actions take place? Is this free will or is it simply the result of standards imposed by society? Can such women identify themselves as feminists at all? The same questions are often asked in the context of heels and the desire of women to star in porn. Time to take a puzzled breath.
Against this background, the direction of the third wave, called lipstick feminism, was born, defending habitual femininity along with feminist ideas. The right to make-up and an unbiased attitude towards him now have to be defended no less than the right to refuse it. In the case of the latter, it is enough to remember how much negativity fell upon the same Alisha Keese after her decision not to wear cosmetics - it drove people crazy. As if some important mechanism is based on this, without which women will turn the world into chaos.
The point is not in the make-up itself, but in relation to it - but it can be different, and it has been transformed more than once. In 2016, journalist Otm Whitefield-Madrano, known for her experiment when she abandoned mirrors, published the book “The Value of a Face: How Beauty affects our lives.” The writer argued that makeup could help people say: "That's who I am." She interviewed a variety of women, trying to answer questions about whether makeup can be considered a feminist act. What do the spaces dedicated to beauty procedures contribute to: competition or sisterhood? And why is the desire to look “beautiful” shameful? I also did not fully understand my own modesty connected with the use of makeup.
← This Whitefield-Madrano,"The value of the face: how beauty affects our lives"
As Whitefield-Madrano recounts, this is pretty typical. Collecting interviews for the book, she noticed that women of all ages, professions and social status are experiencing something like awkwardness, feelings of guilt, that they like this "frivolous" process, and moreover - that they do not give a damn about it. “The apologetic tone slipped in almost all the women’s responses. That is, it was an apology for a completely human desire to look good,” Whitefield-Madrano says. During the 20th century, make-up historically turned into a female occupation - and the latter were habitually treated as "frivolous". There are no winners in this battle: no matter what side women take in the debate on cosmetics, they will certainly come across negatives. Do not paint? You are hypocritical. Are you painting? You demand attention to yourself, you submit to the norm, you are engaged in "nonsense" - you need to emphasize.
Returning to what the conversation was started with: is it worth refusing to use cosmetics? According to my subjective feelings, the refusal of makeup is associated with no less pressure than the use of cosmetics. Walking through this minefield, it is difficult to find a safe zone. Especially when you see in the mirror, feelings of guilt and shame loom behind your back, they seek to uplift the standards of beauty. On the one hand, the second wave of feminism rolls with the arguments that makeup may not really like you and you are a victim of your upbringing, on the other - men attack, reminding you that if you “outwit” they will not understand it; colleagues, who shake their heads with regret for your frivolity, also agree with them, and that instagram girl with flawless skin. So, in this crowd of people you need to somehow try to see yourself - let's start at least from this.
Photos: Alicia Keys, Jiwinaia
