Matin unveils celebrity makeup tips for real women. From post-work touchups to wow-factor makeovers, Matin will show you how to enhance your natural beauty.
In Afghanistan, where I’m from, women usually don’t wear a drop of makeup on a regular basis. But - they’ll put it on for parties and completely transform themselves, to the point where they’re barely recognizable.
It’s a known fact that they are actually getting all made-up to impress the other women at the party! It makes me wonder, “Is this behavior universal? Why do women really wear makeup? And, who do they dress and primp for? Themselves? Men? Other women?”
Recently, I went to a lecture where a series of people spoke about beauty. The sociologist talked about how makeup affects us on an emotional level. Apparently there are 3 main emotions associated with makeup:
1. Normalization: “I like to look presentable and awake when I go to the store or leave the house,” said a woman in the audience. I suppose this means weekend makeup.
2. Elevation: “I like to look natural yet polished and put together; professional,” exclaimed another. My interpretation of this statement is that she is talking about everyday work makeup.
3. Transformation: “Makeup is not permanent...I can always wash it off if I don’t like what I have done, so I experiment,” said another. “For me, the idea of creating an alter ego, a sexy look is what I go for at night,” yelled a woman from the back of the room. One woman chimed-in, “Oh, I look sick without my make up... I have been married for 35 years and my husband has never seen me without my “face” on. I wake-up at 5 am everyday to look just right for when he awakes next to me.”
We talked at length about this. The first two emotions seem almost like “obedient” behavior. We create a façade of what we think the world wants to see and truly believe we don’t look good enough to go out when we first get out of bed. We feel almost obligated to look presentable. The last one, “transformation,” could go either way though. It could be totally freeing and a great tool for self-expression or it could make a woman become a victim to makeup and hair (like the one who was married for 35 yrs).
Does any of this ring a bell to you? Does wearing makeup feel like an obligation, or a liberating form of self-expression?
3 Comments
I know-- I'm on the fence about this one. I actually do think I look better with a little makeup on, but maybe it's just the confidencethat's making me look that way.
My mom was a big "don't go to the grocery store without makeup" person, and now I kind of see the logic behind it. I don't always do this, but lately I've been trying to not leave the house looking like a slob.
I don't wear make-up all the time. My skin does need to time to breathe.
I do not wear make-up to go swimming or to excercise, this is more of an age thing now because I did these things when I was younger.
I have been told on several occasions that my attitude is totally different when I wear make-up, than when I don't. That I seem happier when I have on my make-up. I can see this since I feel better about myself when I have make-up on.
All of your observations rang a bell with me. I do wear makeup to feel liberated at times, to come out of my shell and feel sexier. But other times it does feel like an obligation, for example, when I have to put on make up before I go to the grocery store so that "I don't scare anyone".
I think as I've gotten older I've gotten a little more comfortable in m own bare skin. I will not wake up early to put on my face because I know that my girlfriend loves the way I look first thing in the morning, and I feel like she's genuine. I do see the beauty in a natural face, free from any makeup. I think it takes practice for a chronic makeup-wearer like myself to free themselves from the belief that they "need" make up to be pretty.
On the other hand... don't we all look better with makeup on?
