# Beautiful women + no makeup = WOW! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2009, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155 "2009-04-15T07:08:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/21 "2009-04-15T18:28:08Z")
A while back, _Ms._ Magazine did a big article about women’s magazines being shaped by their advertisements, and why Ms. refused to do it that way. Flip through any other women’s mag, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Editors are pressured by advertisers to create articles on makeup, in order to get that month’s ads. A makeup article will be placed right next to ads for the products pushed in the howto. When you look with clear eyes, you see that most women’s mags are little more than catalogs for makeup, clothes, and hair products. Our ideas about what beauty looks like are shaped by the folks who sell you stuff. The hot look this spring is what they’re selling you this spring. Many women believe they are not beautiful because they are not six feet tall, they are not junkie-thin, and they are not vampire-pale. When you figure out how deeply you have been conned, I hope you’ll be angry. Maybe you will be angry enough to reject the stereotype of beauty. By the way, it’s not just women’s mags. Muscle mags, motorhead mags, GQ, and Rolling Stone are the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/22 "2009-04-15T18:29:13Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > You asked for examples and I gave them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but to me makeup is somewhat dishonest. You said “So many women we consider to be beautiful are only beautiful because of makeup and wardrobe.” Then you link to a picture of Cameron Diaz with a bunch of pimples (you never get pimples?) and a picture of Eva Longoria doing I don’t know what. How does that show they’re only beautiful because of the makeup? If I were so inclined I could probably turn around and find candid shots of both of them looking pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/23 "2009-04-15T18:55:24Z")
> [@](#): > > When you look with clear eyes, you see that most women’s mags are little more than catalogs for makeup, clothes, and hair products. It’s funny; when I think of “women’s magazines”, I picture something with articles about cleaning tips and inspirational female charity organizers, and with a picture of a chocolate cake on the cover (recipe inside). As to the pictures in the OP, those ladies are still wearing custom designed and tailored clothes, and photographed by skilled professional artists in just the right conditions of lighting, camera angle, and pose. They may be less artificial than the airbrushed paintings and Photoshops you often see, but they’re still far from “natural”. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/24 "2009-04-15T19:46:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > As to the pictures in the OP, those ladies are still wearing custom designed and tailored clothes, and photographed by skilled professional artists in just the right conditions of lighting, camera angle, and pose. They may be less artificial than the airbrushed paintings and Photoshops you often see, but they’re still far from “natural”. Not to mention said photogs are using very expensive professional-grade gear. It’s amazing how much difference a good lens makes when you’re trying to take a flattering photo. And let’s not fool ourselves… the pictures have still been Photoshopped to some degree, though perhaps not as much as they would have been for a “regular” cover shot. There isn’t a professional photographer in this world that doesn’t do a little post work to adjust various things like contrast, brightness and colour balance. Even those little tweaks can go a long way in taking away some of those imperfections. That said, they’re still incredible photos in that they highlight just how unrealistic fashion and beauty magazines have become in the images they portray - people just can’t look like that in real life. Seeing a _real_ woman on the cover, crow’s feet and all, is a pretty jarring contrast, even if she’s still stunningly beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/25 "2009-04-15T19:54:41Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > When you figure out how deeply you have been conned, I hope you’ll be angry. Maybe you will be angry enough to reject the stereotype of beauty. Er, I think I’d be a little more charitable to the millions of women who buy these magazines than to say that they’re sheep being led to whatever kind of makeup CoverGirl wants to sell this season. I think people generally realize that they’re being sold a look. That doesn’t mean that this doesn’t have negative consequences sometimes, but it also doesn’t mean that women are all just being tricked into thinking they want to be thin. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/26 "2009-04-15T20:15:00Z")
Has the magazine also indicated that there was no airbrushing? ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/27 "2009-04-15T21:13:00Z")
To me, the makeup thing is no big deal. I wear minimal makeup everyday I leave the house, and more if I’m getting prettied up to go out somewhere. At home, makeup is completely optional. What’s more important to me is that there is no airbrushing or photoshopping done of the pics. That is where the real deception is - you can’t look like them, because \*they \*don’t look like them. I was very surprised when I came across a bunch of photoshopped celebrity pics, with the before and after. I have a 13 year old daughter, and when I explain that the bodies and faces she compares herself to are fictional, she doesn’t really believe me. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/28 "2009-04-15T21:16:40Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > About time. I always preferred women to not wear makeup. We’re in the middle of a recession. Let’s be wary of any trend that might weaken yet another industry. For Og’s sake, won’t somebody think of the Avon Ladies?! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/29 "2009-04-15T21:29:25Z")
All the women in those shots are naturally freekin’ flawless. If I looked that good without makeup, I’d go without too! I don’t look that good without makeup. Not even close. I have no problem with women going natural, flaws or not, but I also have no problem with people who wear it because they feel and look their personal best. I would be extremely uncomfortable with no makeup and I don’t feel I’m doing the sisterhood a disservice by continuing to wear it. It’s cultural and _technically_ unnecessary, but it’s part of my routine and I feel much better with it than without it. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/30 "2009-04-15T21:46:35Z")
> [@MissMossie](#): > > On the other hand, I’m somewhat distressed about hose being out of style. I wouldn’t wear skirts to work if I couldn’t wear pantyhose with them. I don’t shave my legs and, while you can still tell easily that I’m a hairy legged weirdo :), I think hose smoothes things out a bit and lets me look a little more professional. I’m with you on the pantyhose. I rarely wear skirts, but I do so even more rarely since realizing that it’s considered dowdy or something to wear hose. First, I personally just don’t like sticking my bare feet into shoes. Second, looking professional while having bare legs involves a much more diligent regimen of leg hair removal than I care to bother with…and it seems you’re expected to be tanned as well. Third, I think the no hose look came in due to the increased popularity of open-toed shoes, and wearing _those_ seems to mean you’re also expected to have a pedicure. Forget that. It’s not that I love pantyhose, but putting up with them for a few hours every once in a while seems a lot less trouble in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/31 "2009-04-15T21:56:13Z")
Oh, I hate hose, but then I’m super diligent about hair removal. (Every three weeks, it gets ripped out by the roots, whether I like it or not.) Also wearing knee high boots often gets rid of that problem if I am hairy. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/32 "2009-04-15T21:58:17Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > [Cameron Diaz](http://www.gossiportruth.com/wp-content/images/bad-skin1.jpg) and [Eva Longoria](http://www.dollmyface.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/eva-longoria-without-makeup2.jpg). And pretty much every magazine cover stretches the truth with makeup and airbrushing. So Cameron is having a bad skin week. She still has great features. Eva looks beautiful in that photo. She has great bone structure, eyes, hair, skin and teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/33 "2009-04-15T22:10:12Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Oh, I hate hose, but then I’m super diligent about hair removal. (Every three weeks, it gets ripped out by the roots, whether I like it or not.) Also wearing knee high boots often gets rid of that problem if I am hairy. I don’t own any knee high boots, but I’ve often considered buying some just because I’d then be able to wear any old pair of socks underneath. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/34 "2009-04-16T02:06:26Z")
I’m reminded of a favorite bit in the film Notting Hill (yeah, I’m a straight guy who loves “chick flicks”. Sue me.) Julia Roberts’ character Anna Scott: **Anna Scott:** I’ve been on a diet every day since I was nineteen, which basically means I’ve been hungry for a decade. I’ve had a series of not nice boyfriends, one of whom hit me. Ah, and every time I get my heart broken, the newspapers splash it about as though it’s entertainment. And it’s taken two rather painful operations to get me looking like this. **Honey:** Really? **Anna Scott:** Really. And, one day not long from now, my looks will go, they will discover I can’t act and I will become some sad middle-aged woman who looks a bit like someone who was famous for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/35 "2009-04-16T02:09:56Z")
Heh. And she almost had them fooled. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/36 "2009-04-16T02:53:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Didn’t Jamie Lee Curtis do something similar on her 50th birthday? Pose for some magazine wearing no make-up and a bikini? No make up, no hair, in a job bra and granny panties. Then a shot with foundation undergarments, full make up and hair- [Before and after](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2002/08/27/ED242187.DTL&o=0). She’s so awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/37 "2009-04-16T05:27:11Z")
Y’know, the smile in her before picture there is enough to make up for all of the makeovering in the after picture. Pouty facial expressions are something that can’t go out of style fast enough, for my tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/38 "2009-04-16T05:32:41Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > So Cameron is having a bad skin week. I think this is a normal week for her. Doesn’t she have a reputation or having bad skin? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155/39 "2009-04-16T08:12:22Z")
The actresses without makeup are still hot, but they’re not DYB hot. I see women who look that good all the time, just walking down the street. Not all guys are looking for the same ideal woman, regardless of what the magazines say. Angelina Jolie? Meh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beautiful-women-no-makeup-wow/493155.md?page=1)