Women and Cosmetics, Why?

[Rhaide]

To me, when a women is wearing make up it means they are lying to you before they even speak.
Eyelashes, complexion, lip color, the darkening around the eyes thing, nails, hell even heels to make you look taller or to make your butt look bigger..all fake.

People think they look good with cosmetics but they only think this because that's what society tells them is "beautiful".
I tried researching about this, I read one article wear a women went a year without make up but admits that she puts lipstick on during that year so no, she didn't really go a year without makeup.



So I present these questions, male or female can answer.

1. You don't really look like that so why pretend?
2. Is there any women out there who specifically "don't at all" wear makeup?
3. Is this something that should have died out years ago?
4. What do you think about why they/you do it?
5. Would you be OK knowing I wore a wig if I were bald, had a pair of socks stuffed in my pants for obvious reasons, shoe-lifts to make me appear taller than I really do? (Hypothetical but serious questions, I can't picture a woman dating a man with any of these choices)

You have to ask yourself what exactly is unnatural enhancement. How is wearing makeup any different than working out more than your lifestyle requires?

I know plenty of guys who have normal, non-physical jobs and if not for hitting the gym nearly every day, would be average/slim guys. They go to the gym constantly and get huge.

Sure it's something you DO not something you wear, but that's the ONLY difference. You do it to look good, you don't have to be huge to be healthy (actually the opposite can be true, being too big is bad for you); but people do it anyway to look good.

If women want to wear makeup, go for it. As long as it doesn't get pushed on kids as a necessity, it's not a problem in my opinion.

[Haven]

It's a boost to their self-confidence, as the ability to be attractive to a strongest male specimen will always be the main criteria of a woman's worth. It's hardcoded into their brains, and we males actually don't do much to fight it. Then there's a whole industry that will keep telling girls that they will become beauty queens once they use their products, giving a subtle hint that right now they're ugly. /sigh Who knows what other reasons there are. I, as a male, avoid using cosmetics at all costs. I even prefer using fingers rather than a comb, and I can still make myself look quite good.

[Rhaide]

I don't wear makeup to please men, I do it to please myself. I like how I look with a little mascara. My skin is fine, so I don't wear makeup on my skin, just lashes and eye shadow.

My boyfriend, and hell- all of my friends have seen me without makeup just as often as they've seen me with makeup. I don't feel the need to wear makeup to run to the store and get milk, for example.

Sometimes I just like using colors and changing how I look for a few hours.

EDIT: Plus the application of makeup can be fun, it's like drawing and feels artsy.

Perfectly explained in my opinion.

[flyspyro]

To me, when a women is wearing make up it means they are lying to you before they even speak.
Eyelashes, complexion, lip color, the darkening around the eyes thing, nails, hell even heels to make you look taller or to make your butt look bigger..all fake.

People think they look good with cosmetics but they only think this because that's what society tells them is "beautiful".
I tried researching about this, I read one article wear a women went a year without make up but admits that she puts lipstick on during that year so no, she didn't really go a year without makeup.



So I present these questions, male or female can answer.

1. You don't really look like that so why pretend?
2. Is there any women out there who specifically "don't at all" wear makeup?
3. Is this something that should have died out years ago?
4. What do you think about why they/you do it?
5. Would you be OK knowing I wore a wig if I were bald, had a pair of socks stuffed in my pants for obvious reasons, shoe-lifts to make me appear taller than I really do? (Hypothetical but serious questions, I can't picture a woman dating a man with any of these choices)

As a female-
1. I also think it's very fake; althought, I do under stand why. Men are so shallow which makes women feel that they have to.
2. I wear makeup maybe once a year. The reason I do is to remind myself why I don't. I feeel really stupid when I wear it and is very ichy on my face. I need to remind myself because men make us feel ugly. After I put it on, I think not only how stupid/ichy I feel but Wtf Should I do all this bullsh*t for some man. Cause honestly I could give a sh*t.
3. Yes should have died. Sady, it won't.
4. Women do it because of men. Women are lairs if they say it's for herself.
5. Because 99% of women and men put on a show when they first meet someone, you'll have to be ok with it.


To the ladies who say it's for yourself-
Don't kid yourself. You do it to look good. Sadly, It's in our nature as animals just like the Peacock. Why do you want to look good? Really sit down and think about it, it's for men or a man. Heres something else notice that most women wear clothes that show their curves, it's the same reason you wear makeup.

So with the combination of men being shallow and a womens need to feel attractive is the reason it won't stop

[Gereorth666]

Make-up should be used to some kind of point.
To cover up some 'ugly spots' or to draw the attention to your eyes (if you have beautiful eyes). And I do like coloured lips. So to make it a bit more red is fine with me.

I am not looking for a girl who spends like an hour covering up her full face (a friend of mine did that, and I hated to wait for her).

[starlord]

how is it any different than wearing clothes?
you are lying to people by hiding your bodyshape!

[Merie]

Women wear makeup for a few reasons. First, wearing makeup is the baseline for the gender, so it's not so much an advantage to have as much as it is a disadvantage not to have. It wouldn't matter if you could move the baseline to everyone not feeling the need to wear makeup like men, but that leads us to point number 2. Media bombards women with a message of how they should look to be accepted in society. The women on magazine covers don't even exist, they are airbrushed to a fantasy level even beyond what makeup is capable of. By making women feel inadequacy they stimulate the economy by buying products designed to make them feel good enough again. It is a business model built on going out of ones way in creating a problem that on it's own would not exist and selling a solution for a profit.

[starlord]

To the ladies who say it's for yourself-
Don't kid yourself. You do it to look good. Sadly, It's in our nature as animals just like the Peacock. Why do you want to look good? Really sit down and think about it, it's for men or a man. Heres something else notice that most women wear clothes that show their curves, it's the same reason you wear makeup.

not really, someone can want to look good for themselves. vanity, if you will.

[Windfury]

You can polish a turd....

gee I wonder if it has anything to do with the amount of shaming women get for their natural appearance?

How many derogatory comments in this forum focus on the appearance of women? How many comments generally focus on appearance? How much does society as a whole pressure women about their appearance? Then you blame them for listening/reacting? This strikes me as another women can't win thread, either they're going to be ugly or fake, you're all going to say you want them to not wear makeup but I bet you'll all still expect them to be as good looking as someone wearing makeup.

And of course it's big business generally to make women feel bad about themselves and think they're not good enough, not to mention a form of social control exercised over women/people. There's a large body of work around the whole idea of the 'beauty myth' (not a huge fan of Naomi Wolfe but her book by that name is probably the most well known), and more generally the manipulation of people's wants/desires regarding appearance (there's a lot of discussion around the plastic surgery industry in particular).

I do use makeup daily, it's simply considered professional/expected. It would be considered very strange if I didn't. I do like the effect when I take the time to put it on properly, but then that makes me feel uncomfortable about buying in to/supporting beauty standards I generally disagree with etc. I doubt I'd do it if things were different socially.

But that said I'm not going to buy into shaming women for their choices about their personal appearance, because firstly it's their body and they're welcome to do what they want with it (although I think the reasons underlying what people want can/should be examined), and secondly because they are under a lot of pressure to look a certain way, expecting them to ignore that is pretty unreasonable imo.

[Ishayu]

The most attractive thing, I find, is confidence and happiness. I have a sense that the same goes the other way too, but I can't know for sure.

The rest is going to be a bit of stereotyping but I don't feel like writing "some" all over, ok?

Unfortunately, ads and culture have managed to convince women that they don't look good enough naturally. For this reason they lose their confidence, and get nervous instead of being happy.
This turns me, and many other men, completely off.
Even more unfortunately, this makes women believe that they simply didn't apply it properly, making them even less confident and happy even when they wear makeup.
And perhaps most horrible of all is that if you tell them straight up that they look awesome without makeup and that their dress doesn't make them look fat, they don't trust you. The problem is so common it has turned into a laughing stock of the world.

You don't need it. Just convince yourself he likes you just the way you are and have a go at it. If he doesn't, it wasn't the right match either way.

What really turns me off is deception and nervous behavior.

I've had two girlfriends in my life so far. Both of them sadly moved away for pursue their education, but I still keep in contact with both. Both relationships lasted for over a year, one of them lasted 3 years and there were no major problems. None of them wore makeup.

Of course, it has to be noted that in some cases wearing makeup is part of who you are, such as goths and so on. What I'm expressing is not "Don't ever wear makeup", it is "don't pretend to be someone you're not". The OP summed up quite well what it does to you.

[Sam the Wiser]

I prefer women with out makeup...But if makes them feel better I have no problem.

[Deleted]

then I'd have every right to treat them like crap and ditch them

How about no?

yea I saw this, if I were to be the shallow man these women want to attract

No need to claim to be above "other men" here. Not allowing people to do what they want with their bodies or paint themselves how they want seems as much shallow as you claim not to be.


Just. Welcome to 2013. Enjoy your stay.

[-aiko-]

Um how is it a lie? Makeup enhances what is already there. I'm not pretending at anything, and honestly I find that a little offensive.

What if I asked you why men keep facial hair. Doesn't that just sound totally ridiculous to you? Because that's how this sounds to me, basically.

[Ave07]

I think make up is fine as long as it isn't overdone.

[Rendia]

As a male, I don't mind a woman wearing light make-up if she must, but I prefer the natural look.

[Jamber]

Wow, all these people who refuse to acknowledge make-up can be used to self-satisfaction. What if I likened make-up to tatoos? They both color and mark the body the way the individual wants it to be. Whatever motivates them is irrelevant. No one is forced to (hopefully) get tatoos, so why is make-up any different. In fact, there's a huge culture that feels any tatoos at all are an abomination, as there are cultures that feel any lack of make-up is an abomination. The fact that one is permanent and one is temporary is beside the fact. They are two different shades of the same reason: to individualize and personalize themselves. Individualizing oneself to differ from the pack has been ingrained into humanity (and non-humans) for all recorded history (and newly discovered history).

[Osyrus]

To me, when a women is wearing make up it means they are lying to you before they even speak.
Eyelashes, complexion, lip color, the darkening around the eyes thing, nails, hell even heels to make you look taller or to make your butt look bigger..all fake.

People think they look good with cosmetics but they only think this because that's what society tells them is "beautiful".
I tried researching about this, I read one article wear a women went a year without make up but admits that she puts lipstick on during that year so no, she didn't really go a year without makeup.



So I present these questions, male or female can answer.

1. You don't really look like that so why pretend?
2. Is there any women out there who specifically "don't at all" wear makeup?
3. Is this something that should have died out years ago?
4. What do you think about why they/you do it?
5. Would you be OK knowing I wore a wig if I were bald, had a pair of socks stuffed in my pants for obvious reasons, shoe-lifts to make me appear taller than I really do? (Hypothetical but serious questions, I can't picture a woman dating a man with any of these choices)

1] Well some woman. I 'hence' my beauty. I compare it to painting. Light eye shadow and eyeliner- thats it- only when going out/work. Grocery Store? Around the house? thats a big ol' no
2] Yes I know some
3] No? Why? Stop the media from telling woman how ugly they are naturally.
4] Woman tend to be very self conscious...it makes us feel better.
5] You are comparing veggies to fruit. How about this- dying your because its gray hair or growing a beard because of a real bad scar

[Stir]

You should go read up on lipstick. It is heavily theorized to be used for a very special subconscious reason.

To make it look like something... else...

Actually, that's not true at all.

You see, lips turn redder when you kiss and/or blush, as well as when you've just been sexually active.
Women's lips darken more than male lips, because the male epidermis is simply a lot thicker; the reddening is the result of increased blood flow as an effect of irritation through pressure and saliva.
Anyway; the reddening tint hints that the person is sexually active... She's getting laid. Single males might respond to that because, since she's getting laid, someone must obviously deem her fertile; she's getting laid, ergo: She's a good bet on getting babies out of. The fact that her getting laid also means she's taken makes her that much more valuable (because it means she's fertile, again, and useful as well, otherwise the other bugger wouldn't bother, right?), so the male who gets attracted will want to win her over by pleasing her with gifts and/or services, so that she may perceive him in a more favourable light than she does her current partner.

It's not that lipstick is intended to make a woman's mouth look like a woman's vulva. It just doesn't work like that.

By the way: This is the same reason for the application of rouge.

Which brings us to why men rarely use these products: Men have thicker skins, which means the reddening of lips and cheeks as a result of sexual intercourse is far less pronounced. Meaning that the very basis for using make-up products (starting with products like rubbed-on animal blood) is simply absent for men.

[starlord]

meh i wear makeup to cover up redness. turn beet red at the drop of a hat. (blood vessels dialate too much, cools me off pretty good though).

[c2dholla619]

they do it to look good. me personally dont care either way but when i see my girl looking like a million bucks, i cant help but say "damn girl you looking good".