The Make-Up Double Standard

The Make-Up Double Standard

Hi world!

Here is a sensitive topic for you to brush off- How does Katy Perry look without make-up? 

LOL, No! I am joking! While you may be more interested in this picture than the reason why our society is so obsessed with make-up, I feel the need to take this curiosity of yours and turn it around. Back to the K.P., she does look great either way! 

Now, do yourself a favor and keep reading, will ya?! Satisfaction guaranteed ;)

While me, myself and I, alongside billions of other people in this world- both male and female- are part of the target population for the make-up and beauty industry, the reason behind all of us using make-up is, sort of, the elephant in the room.

Many studies in psychology have showed significant correlations between perceived physical attractiveness and authority in the Western Societies a.k.a. we all look up and trust those who quote on quote look good a.k.a. have flawless skin, dress according to the latest fashion trends, have impeccable manicure and 'look clean'. Thus, the thought process behind us being naturally attracted by the people who fit this criteria is simply a manifestation of our society's beliefs. You should also consider that these studies will render different results if conducted in Africa, where full size women with no make-up are what is considered ideal and desirable. 

The topic of make-up is really a two edged sword!

Welcome edge number 1

 - The use and abuse of make-up is a result of poor self-esteem (to a certain degree depression)

Leonard Lauder shared with New York Times Magazine, back in May of 2008, that the company's lipstick sales have slightly rose post 9/11 and the economic recession. Hill et al. (2012) found evidence for the idea that women tend to want to attract wealthy mates, especially during crisis times, and that the sight of expensive lipstick is a magnet for rich dudes! BINGO!

While I know the pro's and con's of statistical analysis and such - my studies are in psychology (specialist) - I advise you to not believe E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. that research says. Why? Because things that people consider to be 'miracles' sometimes shake the entire arena of studies, this most often happens in the medical field, and then new views on the matters at hand rise, and we evolve- just like we always have! BUT, here is my take on why we use make-up to cover up poor self-esteem and depression.

Make-up is a quick fix and cover of what is really going on in our lives. 

Let's look at the apparent reasons why we use make-up: acne, red spots, decoloration, scars, too big of a nose, too round eyes, too thin lips, too much fat tissue in our face, no bone definition, enlarged pores, dark circles around the eyes alongside puffiness, and I will stop here because my head hurts already, and so should yours! Just by looking at this, you are thinking 'YES, I have all of it!'

But I want to challenge you! Why do we have all of these 'skin imperfections'? Short answer is because of our lifestyle!

When was the last time you went to bed, woke up before the alarm and felt like you are ready to take on the world? When was the last time you had someone look you straight in the eyes and tell you what an amazing person you are and how lucky they are to be around you? When was the last time you looked in the mirror and you said to yourself : 'You are a beautiful sculpture of nature that no cosmetics can alter!' My guess is less often that we want to admit. 

Acne, large pores, eye puffiness etc. are all side effects of living a distressful life. We abuse ourselves in many ways, most apparent being too much partying and too little sleeping, too much stressing about your colleagues and too little personal development, too much looking at airbrushed models in catalogs and too little appreciation of what we already have. When we are not happy with out lives, we tend to drink too much knowing that all our worries will leave even for as little as 20 minutes. When we have poor self-esteem, we start paying attention to the things that are 'wrong' with us, instead of appreciating what we have. When we feel stuck with our personal and career development, we get annoyed by anyone and everyone who surrounds us. 

So what is the easiest thing to do? Cover it all up ASAP! 

When I go out with my friends and enjoy a night out, I often come across women and girls that wear so much make-up, if their skin had a mouth it would be yelling out in pain like a pig getting slaughtered. Their skin is suffocated, intoxicated with harsh chemicals, also known as carcinogenics, and murdered by the multiple 'make-up touch ups'. Their lashes have so much mascara and fake lashes on top of those, their lipstick is so perfectly red- sometimes even expanded past the natural curvature of their mouth, and their jawline and cheeks look like the most optimal surgical procedure. And even though not all women I meet have the same amount of make-up on, I feel that they all, and for that matter WE all feel that we are not good enough as bare, organic creatures. 

So, the truth is coming: when we feel depressed in our lives and our self-esteem crashes, we start building ourselves up in the most apparent way using make-up. In time, the use and abuse of beauty and make-up products, especially if the base for the products' ingredients are synthetics fillers a.k.a. BAD STUFF alongside the psychological burden of not feeling good with who we are, will cause our skin to break down with acne etc. In which case, we start using even more of these products.

So, what's there to do? Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself: 'What is missing from my life that is making me feel so small and insignificant that I MUST resign to make-up day in and day out ?' You can lie to us, but you cannot lie to Y.O.U.R.S.E.L.F. Also, watch the video at the bottom of this post for suggestions on health conscious skin care and make-up products.

Welcome edge number 2

 - Make-Up is an art!

My face is a blank canvas. It is beautifully simple, organic, textured and raw. As I look at this canvas, I get inspired. What if I pick up a brush, dip it in red,  and effortlessly swing my hand in a semi-circle? I get a beautiful stripe of red. Hm.... I like it! so I keep swinging left and right, change the colors, change the brushes, add some glitters, and Voila! I have a painting soaked in my original blank canvas. It is deeply beautiful and I am proud of my work; it is NOW time to show it to the world and get the credits!

This is how I think when I wake up in the morning, cleanse my face and put on make-up. And I can guarantee that there are many other women who feel exactly the same as I do when it comes to 'getting ready'. When I get the compliment :'You are so beautiful!' I always take it with a grain of salt, not because it's a lie, but because others tend to judge and evaluate me based on how my face looks. Why take it with only a grain of salt and not dismiss it as complete B.S. and superficiality? Because the way that I feel on the inside always matches the way that I feel on the outside.

I now talk about myself, and not bring in statistical evidence because I want to be the point of comparison for you. Haha! Just joking, I'm not that selfish! :P 

Really though, when you get enough sleep, hydrate your body, eat good nurturing food, release toxins and bad energy through training your body, look in the mirror and want to kiss it, block all bad vibes around you and feel like dancing in the middle of the street when it's -30 degree outside, make-up or no make-up is irrelevant. And even if you wear make up, be it minimal day-to-day or for a soire with your loved ones, it doesn't affect YOU. You wear it because you feel amazing, and the outside matches the inside. The inside is asking you to share with the outer world. And how do you make that transition? You have great posture in a beautiful attire, you dearly pamper your fingers and toes, you have great oral health and you radiate clean, beautiful, powerful energy! People are attracted to you and they consider you valuable and worthy!

Do you see the full circle we are closing here?

People use and abuse make-up in order to imitate raw attractiveness that starts within oneself. 

There are 2 different thought processes:
1. I will use make-up and then FEEL beautiful and fulfilled;
2. I FEEL great and I use make-up as a tool to show that.

I have to say that sometimes people get confused to what my point is, and they sometimes think that I contradict myself, BUT, truth of the matter is THERE IS NO RIGHT AND WRONG for doing things. There is only reason behind why we do the things we do. And behind that reason, there is another reason and so on. So doing something that is wrong, only comes from a feeling or an emotion within us that makes us do 'the wrong things'. My intention is to dig deeper on the reasons why we do certain things the way that we do them.

SO, is the Western Society influencing the way we perceive our attractiveness? YES! Are we using and abusing make-up when we rank low on our self-appreciation and self-worth? YES! Are there other reasons why we use make-up? YES!

If there is anything I leave you with today, let it be that beauty, attractiveness and power come from the inside. Using make-up is not a crime, but rather a natural evolution that we as humans are prone to seek. You are entitled to look at yourself as a raw and gorgeous blank canvas that you can paint, and repaint and repaint until the lipstick runs out and you have to go get another one. Make me the promise, and more importantly, make yourself the promise to check in with the real reason why you are using too much mascara on a day when you feel 'unpretty'. And whatever that reason is, FACE IT. AND LET IT GO! because it's not an absolute truth, it's a phase in your day.

If you find truth in this post, make sure to check out older posts as well. They are as eye opening, and fun to read as this one!

Here is some practical Make-Up advice from Toronto's Radiance Make-Up Artist NATALIA SOLAR, who is striving to make a difference in the way we see ourselves with make-up, and how we can use it to have fun and nurture our skin with food extract cosmetic products.

Follow Natalia Solar on Facebook and let her know how you did with cleaning out your skin care and make-up bags.

Other than that, be a champ and share this post with the World!
@livelifethroughyoursenses on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

oxx,
Andrina