Have you noticed how, just when you think an issue has been laid to rest since everyone agreed to disagree, something happens to stir the pot again?
In this case, I’m referring to the makeup debate. (The fact that this is even a debate makes me wonder about the state of the world, but hey, I’m adding my two cents so who am I to judge?) Fact is, makeup is a contentious issue and divides people into an astonishing number of camps.
Off the top of my head, here are the main factions in the Should-You-or-Shouldn’t-You camps:
• The “I can’t step out of the house without my face on” lot
• The tomboys who don’t like the feel or understand the appeal
• The women who use makeup to try to hide perceived flaws
• The intellectuals who think it’s frivolous
• The true professionals and aficionados who enjoy the artistic, playful element of it
• The “natural look” brigade who wear makeup, but pretend not to
• The feminists who believe makeup is a tool of the patriarchy to keep women as pretty playthings with little to no actual power
• The other feminists who think the basic tenets of freedom and decision-making should also apply when deciding whether or not you want to put stuff on your face
• Those who think they have natural beauty
• Those who just want to enhance their natural beauty a bit
• The ones who have never learnt how to apply it and who feel like clowns when attempting to wear it
I am all these women. It just depends what day it is.
Generally, I think most of us have accepted that we feel differently and have reconciled ourselves to the idea that makeup, and the politics around it, is a tricky, tricky business.
So when some crazy fool like
this guy
comes along and sues his bride for deceit and emotional trauma after seeing her without makeup, I have to shake my head. Vigorously. And roll my eyes. Like, a lot.
Because even if this woman is some sort of genius makeup ninja, her groom should have had some inkling that she was enhancing her face with cosmetics. And even if she looked seriously crap without a scrap of makeup on, this man wasn’t supposed to marry her for her pretty face. And if he did marry her for her pretty face, then he should accept that faces sometimes look less pretty in the morning.
Either way, cry me a river, dude.
This guy got me thinking about the growing number of men who have recently become vocal about makeup. I'm hearing a lot of "women who wear makeup are liars" and "makeup is deceitful" and "that's false advertising, bro".
I saw the perfect response to this on Facebook: "I don't see why I'm being blamed for a man stupid enough to think I have gold sparkly eyelids.”
Point is, whatever way you choose to wear (or not wear) makeup, it definitely should not be somebody else’s decision. And you should probably not get married to someone before he’s seen you without mascara.
