# I just met a woman who wasn't wearing makeup. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 12, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584 "2008-10-12T15:11:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/161 "2008-10-15T02:40:44Z")
I’m a male, 49. My SO is 46. One of the things I like most about her is that she never wears makeup or jewelry, but looks great. It’s similar to the sight of an attractive woman wearing glasses. She clearly doesn’t need to pull out all the stops to look good. This conveys not just beauty, but confidence, and the tempting thought of what she’ll look like without the glasses. I’m not voting for her, but yes, dammit, I think Sarah Palin is hot! ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/162 "2008-10-15T05:24:26Z")
> [@CutterJohn](#): > > I guarantee every one of you would think, constantly, and throughout the night, “Why doesn’t this guy just take 5 minutes and _shave_?!” And if it’s such a big issue to her, she may not say it, but she won’t ask you out again… ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/163 "2008-10-15T05:45:41Z")
> [@MissIntent](#): > > Did the OP do a runner? I guess somewhat understandable if he thinks he’s being attacked. Nah, he’s probably out with Miss Plain Plain Plain having the time of his life while we hash this out among ourselves. 😛 ---
**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:** [October 15, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/164 "2008-10-15T05:48:56Z")
Keep a brown paper bag with eyeholes handy for her to use. Or a brown paper bag without eyeholes for you. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/165 "2008-10-15T06:42:59Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > It’s also arrogant to expect that someone is going to modify their appearance just to be good enough to date you. I’ve experienced this with two men (interestingly enough, their preferences were complete opposites from one another) and to this day, neither guy can understand why they are jackasses to me. It’s actually kind of sad. I honestly cannot comprehend why someone would initiate contact while believing that I’m not good enough for him. It’s happened, but it’s just bizarre. If I’m not good enough for you, why exactly are you talking to me? Go find someone you like, and stop bothering me. On another note, from my own personal experience, if small, stupid things about my partner nag at me, it’s not because I’m shallow. It’s because the big, important things aren’t actually working. I might not see _how_ things are misfiring yet, but it all becomes clear eventually – and how bad that gets is directly proportional to how long you let it go. I only had to make that mistake once, believe me. The fallout was pretty awful. (Among other things, I had to break up with him _three times_, over the span of weeks, because he’d agree with me and then later make it clear he didn’t get that I was serious, that I would be dating other people _and not him_, and that “not dating” also meant “not having sex.” :rolleyes: ) Those kind of mental nags are like referred pain – the location of the pain might not tell you _what’s_ wrong, but just the fact that there _is_ pain tells you without question that something _is_ wrong. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/166 "2008-10-15T18:23:14Z")
Girls, if you don’t “need” makup, don’t wear it. Many guys will appreciate that. My last GF didn’t wear makeup, just a little eyeliner. IMO, if a girl is attractive without makeup then she’s really exceptional. If you look at pictures of TV and movie stars without makeup, many of them aren’t that attractive. Cameron Diaz, Eva Longoria, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/167 "2008-10-15T19:29:14Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > If you look at pictures of TV and movie stars without makeup, many of them aren’t that attractive. Cameron Diaz, Eva Longoria, etc. I don’t think that’s as true as some would believe. It’s just that the general public isn’t used to seeing photos of these celebrities that weren’t run through PhotoShop first. Publicity photos are carefully controlled for lighting, framing, and facial expression, too – they won’t release a photo where she blinked and therefore looks half-drunk, her chin is tipped too far back or too far forward, or whatever. So this airbrushed, carefully lit, carefully selected “look” becomes the default in the minds of the public, so when people see a paparazzi shot, they think it “looks bad” because the lighting is what it is, they print whatever they got instead of chucking out the unflattering facial expressions, and no one PhotoShopped it. Julia Roberts, Cameran Diaz, and others look normally pretty to me without make up, in that girl next door kind of way. Yup, the paparazzi caught her when she was frowning at them, the lighting was harsh and created dark shadows, etc. etc. But it’s a snapshot, not a professional portrait, and they’re no uglier than your best friend/girlfriend is when she’s not dolled up, studio-lit, and airbrushed for a glamour shot. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/168 "2008-10-15T19:31:24Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I’m not complaining - I love wearing makeup. [shameless flirt]And you do it very well ;)[/sf] ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/169 "2008-10-15T19:50:01Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Me too. I don’t understand what’s so hard to get about this. To most people, one’s appearance is a personal thing. I mean, it’s kind of like inviting a new acquaintance to your house and having them tell you that you should get a new couch because the one you have clashes with the curtains…and then with the implicit addendum that they won’t come to visit again if you don’t. In what universe would this be polite behavior? That’s right…it’s just plain rude and potentially hurtful to basically tell someone that the way they present themselves to the world is unattractive or needs modifying in some way. You can know someone for YEARS and it’s still a good idea to tread very carefully on that ground. ---
**Author:** ![Kalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@Kalea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalea)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/170 "2008-10-15T19:57:06Z")
> [@CutterJohn](#): > > Perhaps thats the logical flaw i was looking for.. We can’t expect our behavior to perfectly match what the significant other in our life expects, and quite frankly, a lot of what we do is just routine crap that doesn’t bother us one way or another, and that we frankly don’t care about… It just is. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with them asking for reasonable changes to your routine, nor you asking the same of them. If its something minor, or even inconsequential to you, and it makes them happy, where is the downside? I have worn long hair all my life. I have been married for 7 years, known my husband for 20+ years. If I suddenly decided I wanted to cut all my hair off, I would talk to my husband about it first. His opinion is important to me, and he has to look at me every day. I wouldn’t consult anyone else. It’s none of their business. If anyone who I didn’t know well enough to have lived with them brought up a cosmetic change (“You should \ - you would look so much prettier!”), I would find it totally rude, and wouldn’t choose to associate with them again. That being said, all bets are off if **I** bring the subject up (“How do you think I would look if I did \?”) - that opens up the door for discussion, and your opinions are being invited. To the OP, if he ever comes back: Having read the OP and all of your comments in this thread, you come off as being pretty shallow about the makeup thing. Whether that’s the case or not we of the anonymous Internet will never know - perhaps it was just a poor choice of words. My recommendation: Try another date, and see what happens. If the sparks aren’t there, or if the makeup thing turns out to be a dealbreaker for you, end it there. If her sparkling personality makes you forget that her face isn’t, you’ve got a chance. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/171 "2011-01-07T11:49:51Z")
So you like her personality, she has a body that, in your words, is comparable to Beyonce…but alas, she has a plain face. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/172 "2011-01-07T11:53:05Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > So you like her personality, she has a body that, in your words, is comparable to Beyonce…but alas, she has a plain face. > > :dubious: Well, who knows - now that it’s two years later she might well be wearing makeup. 😃 (Or she might be a zombie!) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/173 "2011-01-07T14:21:29Z")
Hey, a lot of men are attracted to butterfaces. Maybe you can too. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/174 "2011-01-07T15:13:45Z")
So … **marshmallow** , you read the OP of a 2 year old thread and responded to it… why? I’m just curious as to the point of it. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/175 "2011-01-07T15:17:13Z")
Didn’t someone link to this in the thread about the Meet Up group? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/176 "2011-01-07T16:18:30Z")
never mind… ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/177 "2011-01-07T16:41:52Z")
So was the hiking chick in the meetup group wearing makeup? I’m confused. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/178 "2011-01-07T16:44:15Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > So … **marshmallow** , you read the OP of a 2 year old thread and responded to it… why? I’m just curious as to the point of it. Especially since it wasn’t a response so much as a summarization of part of the OP that added nothing whatsoever to the discussion. I’m curious as to why someone would do something so patently useless. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/179 "2011-01-07T16:53:10Z")
> [@Lavender\_Falcon](#): > > P.S. Did you check her legs? You never know–maybe she doesn’t shave either. :eek: Julia unmade plus Beyonce’s bod don’t need to shave nothin’. Hell, I might not even ask 'em to bathe her before bringing to my tent. ---
**Author:** ![This\_Just\_In\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@This\_Just\_In\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/This_Just_In_2)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584/180 "2011-01-07T17:03:57Z")
[quote=“deanc2000, post:45, topic:467584”] Nevermind - zombie thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-met-a-woman-who-wasnt-wearing-makeup/467584.md?page=10)