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Is our obsession with makeup healthy?

Posted on 03/27/12 by User_image_bgMaria S.

User_image_bg Maria S. View Profile
Member since 24 March 2012
  • 3 Posts
  • 13 Comments

I have a lot to say when it comes to how society views beauty, but in this article I will be mainly addressing makeup. In modern society it is not only socially acceptable for women to wear makeup but in some places ( like the United States) it has become a daily expectation. Some women even refuse to go out in public if they are not wearing makeup.

The thing I find the most poisonous about makeup ( and the beauty industry that promotes it) is that we so willingly allow it to define our idea of beauty. That idea is very often " hide what you really look like." This leads to low self-esteem and we feel like we NEED make-up in order to be beautiful.

Basically, the makeup industry creates problems and makes you believe they are real problems ( usually through advertisements) then they offer you a solution to a problem THEY created in the first place! If they really wanted us to feel beautiful and comfortable with who we are, they would promote a natural look rather than purple eyelids and sparkly lips. There are an abundant amount of problems with makeup and I can't address all of them in this article, but makeup does touch on bigger issues than just beauty and I want to talk about one of them.

Makeup leads its users to believe that if they wear it, people will like them more which implies that people wouldn't be liking us for who we actually are. Makeup not only encourages its users to hide how they actually look, but it also glorifies them for trying to look less like themselves. Makeup sends a pretty powerful message that it's not okay to be comfortable with how you look. It tells society that those who see beauty in different light are wrong and encourages conformity. And if you DARE to admit that you are perfect, you're not only wrong but you are also being extremely arrogant. The ideals presented by the makeup industry DON'T EXIST which is why no one is ever deemed as " perfect" by the makeup industry because if you could actually obtain perfection then you wouldn't keep buying their products. The makeup industry has one goal and one goal only: making money. "Beauty must be defined as what we are, or the concept itself is our enemy." --Laci Green

@http://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouverfilmschool/4445593503/

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Comments

  • Stephen Ross

    on 03/27/12, by Stephen Ross:

    Hey Laci. I thought of you when I saw the title of this article, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw your name at the end. I've been following your Youtube videos off and on since 2007 and in that time I've been impressed and enthralled with your intellectual development, which ultimately aided mine. In terms of the content of this article, I've wondered much the same as you have: why we have allowed an industry to profit from our growing insecurities. I've experienced the consequences of this from a male perspective. I have acne, was born with an skin tag on my ear and have premature grey hairs. Starting as early as kindergarten, I had people asking about the skin tag. They would ask whether I could remove it, why I hadn't. I would say it's too expensive, or too long of a trip to the city, but in reality I had no idea. The questioning became teasing and bullying. I was an alien, a freak. People avoided me. I made a decision then to keep it, as a symbol of self-confidence, perseverance, non-conformity and protest. I was protesting our culture of shame. So later, when mild acne developed on my face, I refused to medicate it, and when some of my hair greyed (not more than a dozen, not that this stopped comments), I refused to dye it. I think the message you provide here is very important. We need to change our concept of beauty if we are to have healthy relationships and self-conception. It's also vital if we are to reduce waste and change our lifestyles for the sake of the biosphere. It would also reduce the exploitation of the poor, the disabled and of animals if we adopted a definition of beauty encompassing character, ethics and kindness. Thank you very much for sharing this message.

  • on 03/28/12, by Maria S.:

    I'm not Laci, the quote at the end is just hers... :)

  • on 03/28/12, by Maria S.:

    My article was edited a bit, I think they thought III was Laci Green and they " entered" the name, but it's just a quote she said in one of her videos

  • on 04/05/12, by _____KVO:)______:

    I really enjoyed reading this arcticle and it absolutely is 100% true!! I must admit though, I tend to wear make-up sometimes but that doesnt mean I wear it constantly. I have a few friends that wont let you see them without make-up and has became addicted to it. I have noticed that ever since I've known this person her self confidence has decreased. I almost enjoyed her presence more when we were in fifth grade and werent allowed to wear it. Now it becomes a main topic of conversation of how I look "naked". I dont care i'm comfortable with having my face look "naked" it shows that im not afraid of how I really look unlike my friend.

    • on 04/05/12, by Maria S.:

      I am not for policing someone else's social life, but maybe that "friend" of yours needs to educate herself before she goes ahead and judges you for being confident and not conforming to oppressive standards and ideas. :)

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