# Could the right makeup make this young woman more attractive or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 10, 2015, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014 "2015-12-10T00:51:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/81 "2015-12-10T22:02:29Z")
On the top the sexism, I also didn’t appreciate the fat shaming dimension of the “the ‘problem’ is not that she’s overweight” gambit. ---
**Author:** ![piepiepie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@piepiepie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/piepiepie)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/82 "2015-12-11T00:32:56Z")
I am devoid of fucks to give about this woman, but asking what she can do to be more attractive is rather creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/83 "2015-12-11T01:40:09Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Yeah but lets not talk about that. Lets talk about how she needs to get fixed, either through make-up or surgery, so that astro can get a boner. If she’s appearing before the Supreme Court, it’s more important to her case that Clarence Thomas get a boner. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/84 "2015-12-11T02:39:58Z")
I’d heard ugly women do better at slower schools. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/85 "2015-12-11T06:58:17Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I don’t like makeup and stuff or watch dumb girlie shows. But I’m not above talking about someone’s physical appearance. The girl _does_ give off Peppermint Patty vibes. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think Peppermint Patty is cute. And I’m sure there are plenty of others who agree. > > I agree with the chorus that talking about women’s physical appearance all the time is sexist and tiring. But I think the fair solution is to start talking about men _more_. And not just the hideous freaks like Robert Filner or Ted Cruz. Seems to me that a lot of men on this board might benefit from some basic styling tips. “Is this look attractive?” type of threads might be useful to them. I find this difficult to reconcile with you jumping on me that one time when I commented on your appearance in a photo and how some basic makeup would look good on you. (IIRC, I thought it was okay because you had brought it up.) You sure seemed to take it as something that we shouldn’t talk about. And even though I did that, I still find **astro** ’s question offputting. I think the main thing is the singling out of this woman, and the idea of fixing her, instead of it being about himself and his own personal preferences. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/86 "2015-12-11T07:02:26Z")
> [@SUZ\_MAC](#): > > I agree that she does look more masculine than feminine. Make-up might help, but not much I’m afraid. And while I didn’t want to get into this topic at all, this post pulls me in. This is bullshit. She does not look any that different from the very many gorgeous redheads I know who look rather plain without makeup. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/87 "2015-12-11T07:35:51Z")
All I see is the all-American, all-teeth-bare- toothy smile. That smile, especially when it is clearly forced, does’t look good on that many people. For non - Americans, such a forced toothy smile looks vaguely off putting. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/88 "2015-12-11T12:48:31Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I find this difficult to reconcile with you jumping on me that one time when I commented on your appearance in a photo and how some basic makeup would look good on you. (IIRC, I thought it was okay because you had brought it up.) You sure seemed to take it as something that we shouldn’t talk about. I think you really need to recalibrate your sensitivity meter if you think I [jumped](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18289851&postcount=88) on you. I know you are prone to butthurt, but come on now. But I probably was slightly annoyed, and here’s why: I didn’t ask you for your critique of my physical appearance. The thread wasn’t about me. I wasn’t soliciting make-up recommendations. And I had already said in that thread that I would look better with make-up. So your commentary was kinda gratuitous. So it should be pretty easy for you to reconcile my takes on this subject. If you solicit opinions about what makes someone attractive, I’ll participate in the discussion. Doesn’t matter what gender you are. IMHO, there’s nothing wrong with the discussion as long as everyone gets a chance to play and the commentary isn’t mean-spirited. All too often, it’s guys playing against girls in a crude, demeaning fashion (and then the guys wonder why the girls don’t have time for them). Maybe neckbeards wouldn’t be so prevalent in this society if guys could get their chance in the hot seat every once and awhile and get the same harsh treatment. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/89 "2015-12-11T14:43:55Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Women are decoration, don’t’cha know. **LurkerinNJ** is a woman, I believe. And I think (okay, hope) you’ve been whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/90 "2015-12-11T15:32:56Z")
What a weird thread, and I’m not even sure I should participate, but I’ll note that most of the photographs are not from flattering angles, with her head pushed into her body a bit, which obliterates her jawline. If her head was out forward a little more, it would accentuate her jawline and make it look more flattering (by popular standards.) I mean, she looks [perfectly fine here](http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/news/texas/article/Rights-pioneer-Heman-Sweatt-s-family-backs-UT-6660192.php#photo-9028106) and particularly[here](http://politic365.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/07/Abgail-Fisher-495x375.jpg) where her jawline is more defined. I don’t think it has anything to do with makeup. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/91 "2015-12-11T17:43:39Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Yeah but lets not talk about that. Lets talk about how she needs to get fixed, either through make-up or surgery, so that astro can get a boner. I guess thinking about Stoid’s [“hot little pussy”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7848738&postcount=4) stopped doing the trick for him. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/92 "2015-12-11T18:11:16Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > I guess thinking about Stoid’s [“hot little pussy”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7848738&postcount=4) stopped doing the trick for him. That’s Hot. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/93 "2015-12-11T18:23:18Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > She’s got a face for radio. Interesting that the very first person I thought of after seeing the pic was [Sarah Vowell](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jZV7H3LwL4A/hqdefault.jpg). ---
**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:** [December 11, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/94 "2015-12-11T23:45:51Z")
> [@SUZ\_MAC](#): > > I agree that she does look more masculine than feminine. Make-up might help, but not much I’m afraid. > [@bump](#): > > Her biggest problem is that she’s rather reminiscent of a young Mickey Rooney in drag. There’s no sugar-coating the fact that she’s not good looking at all. > > That said, hair and makeup’s generally good for 1-2 points on the ten point beauty scale, so why not go for it? It’s unlikely to make her look worse. > [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > It is a combination of things. > > She is out of shape (mostly lacking muscle tone) and wearing clothes that either accentuate that or are too dowdy. She needs a good cut and style instead of her current 12 year old Catholic school girl style hair and her eyebrows need professional shaping. Complete lack of style. > > If I were her, I would look into a brow lift (cheap and recovery is just a few days), chin/jaw work and a nose job. Just a little work could really transform her face. Wow. More I read, the closer I feel like we’re in [Number 12 Looks Just Like You territory](http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/twilightzone/images/d/d7/Number_12_Looks_Just_Like_You.png/revision/latest?cb=20150324180530). ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/95 "2015-12-12T04:52:31Z")
1. She always looks pissed off. This is an attractive look for men, not so much for women. 2. In some pics she sort of looks like a boy with long hair. I’m not sure if it’s something about her face or the hairstyle. Perhaps her hairstyle is similar to what I usually see on guys with long hair and there might be something more flattering for her face. 3. I have never really socialized with young women who did not wear makeup in public, and all of them certainly looked much different at home. so- 1. Less negative facial expressions 2. More flattering haircut 3. Makeup I’m sure would all make her more “attractive.” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/96 "2015-12-12T22:19:09Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > **LurkerinNJ** is a woman, I believe. And I think (okay, hope) you’ve been whooshed. I think there’s several whooshes going on in that chain… ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/97 "2015-12-13T02:11:03Z")
> [@astro](#): > > The case aside for the moment she intrigues me because she has gorgeous hair like golden red sunshine but her face is … (IMO) not all that attractive. But why? > > I was trying to parse out what the specific off putting part of he face was and I could not do it. … Assuming that you really are just curious, that you find the young woman in an “uncanny valley” of not quite attractive, her hair is parted in the wrong place, her eyelashes are too fair to highlight her eyes, and her cheeks are pretty chubby. And that first picture is take from a very unflattering angle, showing that little extra bit of skin under her chin, and making her look like she’s wrinkling her nose at the world. She also was caught with an unpleasantly mulish expression, wasn’t she? Sweep her hair up into a Gibson to balance her cheeks and a couple of quick swipes of mascara, world of difference. When she goes on air at Fox, she’ll probably be gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![nethken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@nethken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nethken)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/98 "2015-12-13T04:38:12Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I’ve never seen _anybody_ who wouldn’t look a little better with some modicum of makeup. Gender excluded. Men should wear makeup and pluck those shitty eyebrows, too. > > So sure, the girl in the OP may look “better” with a little makeup. So would the OP. So would I. Excuse me, my eyebrows are awesome. I really do prefer no makeup at all. Maybe I won’t notice if you use just a little, but if you have acne and you try to cover it up with makeup - to me, you’re more attractive with the acne. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/99 "2015-12-13T08:34:15Z")
As woman who gave up make-up for medical reasons on the advice of a dermatologist, I never lacked for male attention. There are plenty of men who prefer no make-up. There are plenty of men who don’t care if a woman’s eyebrows are groomed or not. YOU may not find a look attractive. Plenty of other men (and women) do. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014/100 "2015-12-13T10:03:07Z")
She is noticeably asymmetric, and the posture and haircut makes that worse. If I was going to turn her into a model (to sell stuff to blokes like me that find red-heads irresistible), I’d start with posture training, like models take, and a new hair cut. If she learns to hold her head and body straight, the asymmetry in her face will be less apparent, and if she fixed her haircut, it would probably be no worse than normal. The round face and broad nose is probably more Finnish than Irish, but I don’t mind either: I think that’s more about what you are used to. A really good make-up artist could distract your eye away from the problem areas, but it would make sense to fix the fixable problems, rather than merely try to hide them. (PS she had me at hello… she doesn’t need any fixing unless she wants to try out as an Internet/TV/Movie star) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-right-makeup-make-this-young-woman-more-attractive-or-not/740014.md?page=6)