What do you think of the "natural beauty/no makeup" movement?

In My Humble Opinion
61

I’m not all that concerned about the toxins, but they add injury to insult, which is even worse than the reverse. Also, they feel terrible. I can physically feel the products smothering my face. I can tolerate it, but not for long.

No one should be forced to look a particular way, but people especially shouldn’t have to follow different rules based on gender. We all have faces. Why are men not required to add artificial coloring to theirs? It’s demeaning and unfair.

I refuse to do these things for the Man, so I don’t get to participate in the corporate world. And yeah, that kind of sucks. Maybe if I was not so physically uncomfortable in the clothes and the heels and the makeup I’d have shucked and jived my way into one of those careers that my preferences kept off the menu. I would have been good at some of them and enjoyed many aspects, but the sacrifices required to be a successful woman in that world were a deal-breaker.

I don’t negatively judge women that participate to succeed, but wouldn’t it be cool if everyone just stopped?

62

I guess? But I’d rather we’d hope for something that’s less–shall I say-- cosmetic? There are so many ways that people are unfairly discriminated against in our society, and over things that aren’t relatively easy to change. I guess I’d rather people focus more on severe unfairness than mild unfairness that can be washed off with soap and water at the end of the day.

Especially since there are so many professions out there for women that don’t require makeup or presenting in a “corporate” way. I don’t wear make-up on the job, and I don’t think I’ve been penalized for this. In fact, I almost think women who are “girly” face more hardship in my line of work than those who are not. And there are so many workplaces now that are letting their employees telecommute. There are options for the non-corporate person.

Not that I don’t think about makeup injustice. I do. Like, there are some people who truly can’t wear makeup because of allergies or because they are visually impaired. For the latter, not only do they already have an uphill battle because of their disability, but they also have a hard time competing in the “looks” department. I know that must suck. And yet I don’t think I shall be surrendering my Wet n Wild lipstick just so I can show my solidarity. Personally, I don’t like how I look with pale-ass lips. I don’t know if me enduring pale lips will help a blind woman have a better shot at getting a job. So it’s complicated.

63

“Toxic”? Seriously?

Look, I support that you don’t want to wear the stuff, but calling it toxic is a hell of a stretch.

64

No, really, some of it IS toxic. These days nail polish is probably the worst offender but quite a bit of it is less than healthy.

Hair dye can also be a problem. Not just for women - Grecian Formula hair coloring, targeted at men, contains lead acetate. In the US, not in Europe, where lead acetate is banned. Oh, yeah, that’s not good for you… I have no idea how that manages to still be legal.

65

Sometimes I wear makeup, and sometimes I wear none. I prefer how I look with makeup, but I prefer how it feels to go barefaced.

I find that the social acceptability of the no-makeup look varies a lot by professional field. When I worked in law, most women wore some subtle makeup. When I worked with engineers and scientists, wearing any makeup marked you out as “a silly woman” to your colleagues. And when I moved into healthcare administration, I found that most women are expected to wear very heavy makeup every day.

It feels very unfair that women are judged on whether they wear makeup or not. Nevertheless, I don’t judge a woman by her makeup choices. I think it would be nice if there really were a trend away from expecting women to wear makeup, if only because it is an added expense women are burdened with to “look professional.”

However, I don’t believe there is a real trend toward no makeup. I live in a university town, and I see the opposite–a trend toward makeup being more of a baseline expectation for more people in more fields of work. Twenty years ago, a lot of the students, especially in the sciences, wore nothing. Now most of them wear at least subtle makeup. People I know who formerly wore nothing, make themselves up now. And the young women on campus are, on the average, wearing a lot more makeup than they did when I was an undergraduate. And they spend more money on it (judging from how many more places sell it in our town now).

I think this is partly because makeup products have become more diversified and available. There is a makeup line targeted toward every lifestyle and ethnicity now. Twenty years ago, makeup was produced by big legacy name brands, and available in department stores (intimidating to some) or in drugstores (where you couldn’t try the products). Now makeup is available in hair salons, and dedicated makeup stores and even grocery stores, and most of these have testers and return policies. It’s more accessible. There is vegan makeup, and natural-looking makeup, and new brands pop up (and get retired) all the time, to appeal to what is currently popular. And the makeup itself is easier to use. Instruction on how to use it is more available, largely because of the Internet. It’s considered less forgivable now to be an adult and not “get” makeup. You’re expected to at least wear mascara and something on your lips, or you’re weird, in my experience.

66

Oooh, watch out for those scary “toxins”!

67

This makes me think of “Daughters of Feminists” (written by Nancy White). Hadn’t heard it in a while, thanks for the reminder.

68

Seems like a good time to dredge up a thread from 2009.

69

With all of these movements is getting really hard to know how to properly judge women.

Too much makeup, not enough, too hairy, too smooth, too fat, too thin, too good-looking, too positive, too judgey, not smiling enough - what’s a simple everyday sexist to do?

70

The big “toxic trio” nail polish are dibutyl phthalate, toluene, and formaldehyde. Those are real toxins, the kind without scare quotes.

Of course, for a single application of nail polish exposure we’re talking about really small amounts. There are brands that don’t use these chemicals, but the average person isn’t likely to either read the microscopic print on the teeny bottles or research the matter. Some people are more sensitive than usual to the chemicals, and certainly the risk of exposure is greatest for nail salon personnel.

But don’t poo-poo the notion that potential hazards aren’t included in make-up.

I already mentioned the lead acetate in Grecian Formula. While many hair dye ingredients that used to be common have been removed from modern formulations due to known hazards, there are still thousands of ingredients used these days, it’s likely some of them are less than healthy for you. Read the cautions on the boxes - hair dye, as well as several other hair treatments, can cause eye damage if improperly used. Not so much a toxin but definitely a potential hazard.

When it comes to lipstick, there are ingredients like methylparaben which are banned in Europe but common in the US. Which, by the way, it a common theme when you look into these things, chemicals allowed in the US but banned elsewhere. Propylparaben can cause skin reactions in the amounts used in lipstick in particularly sensitive or allergic individuals. Again, there have been various coloring agents/dyes that used to be used that are now banned, which means today’s lipsticks may be safer than those of prior generations, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfectly safe.

Rinse and repeat for every type of make-up you can conceive of - foundation, blush, eyeliner, eye shadow, concealer, etc.

Again, a lot of the effect is in the dose. Women who wear cosmetics only sometimes are most likely at negligible risk. The human body does have mechanisms to deal with chemical hazards and we’re exposed to them through air, water, food, and everything else we come into contact with every day. Women who are heavily made up every day, though, are getting exposed to these ingredients more often, and at least some will suffer negative effects. And some of us are too sensitive to wear this stuff even occasionally without consequences.

71

Lead, mercury, neurotoxins, hormone disrupters, carcinogens… Most makeup is made of things that are pretty obviously nasty poisons, but because we are taught that wearing makeup is “normal” for women, it doesn’t get taken very seriously. Smearing a carcinogen on your lips and eyelids daily is a pretty bad idea. You’re literally swallowing that stuff and it’s seeping through the thin skin you apply it to. It’s right next to your eyeballs, don’t you like being able to see? Repeated exposure is going to result in a serious issue for a lot of people.

Plus, you are probably aging your skin. I hardly ever wear makeup and am typically assumed on sight to be 20 years younger than I am. Anecdotal evidence to be sure, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my skin is healthier than if I’d spent the last thirty years smothering it under a daily layer of metals and toxic chemicals.

72

Some people benefit from a little makeup, such as those with pale eyelashes, but I do think it’s largely misused and some restraint may be in order.

73

Okay, well, people have been wearing makeup for generations. Please point me to a study that shows a “serious issue” for a wide swath of users - we must have that data by now.

74

We don’t have to address the problems in order of severity, and I think you may be underestimating the insidious effects of the “women wear makeup” culture. By the time a girl is old enough to be aware that she is a girl, she is exposed to this.

Caster Semenya breaks a female running record and her physiology is called into question. She is given a makeover, and photo shoot to “prove” she is a “real woman”. With makeup and feminine clothing she is praised for her “improved” look and people start to think maybe she is a woman after all.

The former Bruce Jenner announces he is now a she, dons makeup and lingerie, and gets on a magazine cover. Public conversation immediately focuses on her appearance and sartorial choices, as that is now obviously the point of her existence.

And so it goes. Sure, the makeup washes off (although the cancer doesn’t), but it is an ever-present reminder that as women, our value is heavily based on our appearance and that we ought to conform to whatever the current “look” is if we expect to get ahead. Refusing to comply is seen only as stubborn self-defeating behavior and most women have bought into the zeitgeist and agree that they look best in makeup and think they “have” to “put their faces on” and flat-iron their hair every day to look good enough to be seen in public.

75

Look up your own studies. There’s a thing called Google, you’re going to love it.

I don’t need a “makeup study” to tell me that mercury and lead don’t belong near my mouth and eyes. The unsecret ingredients in makeup are poisonous to ingest and can be absorbed by your skin. Those facts are not questionable or deserving of deep inquiry as far as I’m concerned. What levels are “safe” is immaterial to me, since there are no health benefits I am eschewing by not wearing makeup. There’s probably some “safe” level of lead I could add to my food too, but I’m just going to try my best to eat lead-free anyway.

76

It’s okay to not wear makeup and think it’s silly. You don’t need to justify it to us by trotting out some questionable science and working yourself into a frothing, self righteous rage. Let’s not spread junk science here, okay?

77

“Don’t put known carcinogens, lead, and mercury on your face” is not junk science.

78

What part of “formaldehyde is a poison” + “formaldehyde is in nail polish” = “potential health hazard” is junk science to you?

Governments have banned certain ingredients from cosmetics over the past decades, did you think they did that because some girly-girl went “ew, icky!” or could it possibly be that some things are hazardous to your health and don’t belong on your skin? Do you think everything has been cleaned up, or might it be possible there are still some lingering hazards at the cosmetics counter?

And no one here is in a “frothing” rage, we’re just pointing out that it’s now become not only an accepted practice but practically a requirement that women smear chemicals on their faces every single day of their lives. Why are you so upset that some people question why that is so?

79

I’m all for questioning (although acceptable threshold is a concept you should look up), I just don’t understand how a personal preference becomes grounds for judgment of other people.

For example, I don’t watch prime time television. I don’t need to trump up some nasty finger-pointing at those who do – I just don’t care for it. I fail to understand why on the topic of make up and many others, there has to be such nasty comments.

I have to go now and smear chemicals on my face. I didn’t realize it was a requirement – I just enjoy how I look with lead, mercury and formaldehyde on my face. I guess I’ll just have to deal with the tremendous tumors I’m going to get on my lips. Although no one has yet provided any actual scientific evidence that indicates make up is toxic when used properly.

80

One other quick thing, so we don’t have to hear additional descriptions of Broomstick’s disgusting pus filled facial sores – I understand some people have sensitive skin and therefore cannot wear makeup. That’s not the same as toxicity in the general population.