The fifth episode of the podcast focuses on decorative cosmetics and the concept of putting on makeup “for yourself”. Some researchers consider the significant time and financial resources women dedicate to self-care practices, such as applying makeup, to be a third shift. Women engage in these practices to conform to current beauty standards.
In patriarchal societies, men are considered people, while women are considered commodities. The traditional wedding is the simplest example of this. The groom is a man and a merchant, while the bride is the commodity being sold. What does a commodity need? That’s right — a marketable appearance. Girls raised under patriarchal principles pay attention to their appearance to be valued in the marriage market. Since there are few men with resources, competition in this market is inevitable.
Literally speaking, I would argue that there is no such thing as putting on makeup “for yourself” the way women mean it. Contrary to popular belief, women don’t wear makeup for themselves; they wear it to look better for others.
Whatever is fashionable quickly becomes mainstream and starts to seem beautiful. I personally know two women who plucked all their eyebrows out because threaded eyebrows were popular at the time. Their eyebrows never grew back. For decades, they drew on their eyebrows, adapting to changing trends. This raises the question: How can we evaluate beauty based on this example? The same face can look completely different based on fashion trends. One woman may feel more beautiful with one type of eyebrow one time and a different type at another time.
I consider traditional makeup to be a tool for adapting to existing societies. From a young age, girls are socialized into the female gender, which includes the expectation to wear makeup. They are taught to believe that they must always maintain a “marketable appearance” and be “beautiful” in order to be chosen by a man.
What is the purpose of this?
In a world with rigid gender roles, where men are the breadwinners and women have no access to education or property and don’t have the right to vote, it is difficult for women to survive on their own. This is why men were seen as a means of survival — not because women are all “mercantile” as it might suggest.
Some women say they would apply makeup even on a desert island because doing so is their way of taking care of themselves. They say it calms them down, and they enjoy the ritual of applying makeup with brushes. It’s as if they’re painting a canvas.
However, if these so-called standards didn’t periodically emerge and pressure women to take care of their appearance for the sake of the market, the concept of self-care would be different. There are many enjoyable activities that are unrelated to beautifying oneself. Women are taught from an early age to take care of their appearance, and they learn to enjoy it. Nevertheless, experiencing pleasure is also an adaptation, and it doesn’t change the fact that this practice is imposed and not for one’s own benefit. Therefore, women transform it into self-care.
In short, traditional decorative makeup is a practice designed to enhance one’s appearance and align it with accepted beauty standards. It can involve eyelashes, eyebrows, lips, cheekbones, and other areas of the face and body. It can also entail dyeing gray hair natural colors. By covering her gray hair, a woman can appear more youthful. She may want to hide her age due to age discrimination, also known as ageism. Beliefs such as “a woman is valuable only when she’s young” and “old women are of no use to anyone” perpetuate this discrimination. At this point, someone is bound to say that she dyes her hair because she doesn’t like its natural color. As mentioned above, as soon as mousey blonde comes into fashion, everyone will like it.
A woman tries to embellish herself according to the fashion and beauty standards of her time. Doing so allows her to be chosen by a man with resources and accepted by society. After all, as the saying goes, if you want them to play with you, you have to follow the rules of the game.
In a patriarchal society, maintaining an attractive appearance is one of the unwritten rules for women. Following this rule makes life easier for women within the society. It’s normal to adapt in order to be accepted, as well as to make life easier and safer. So, when you engage in adaptive practice… You’re taking care of yourself while still following the rules of the game. In other words, you’re ensuring your own safety. From that perspective, I would agree that makeup is “for yourself”. As long as you’re doing it for your safety and for societal acceptance, it’s really “for yourself”.
The primary concern is always understanding what is happening. First, consider why you wear makeup, what it means to you, and how you use it to adapt to societal rules, fit in, meet expectations, and ensure your safety. Then, think about beauty standards and how you feel about your appearance. Only after doing so should you consider how much time and money you are willing to invest to meet societal expectations, and how much pain and inconvenience you are willing to endure.
I think that covers everything I wanted to say on this topic. I hope it was helpful!
Dear podcast listeners, I would like to wish you a Happy Women’s Day of Solidarity for Women’s Rights!
I would like to wish you to UNDERSTAND YOUR RIGHTS. I want you to understand this firmly:
- Your husband isn’t “helping” around the house — he is fulfilling HIS part of your shared responsibilities.
- He doesn’t attend parent-teacher conferences “in your place”, but he is “involved in his child’s education”.
- Not “a marital duty”, but “a culture of consent”. No means no, and you don’t have to tolerate.
- Not “pain alone”, but “partnered childbirth”.
- Not choosing the “right specialty for a girl”, but rather “what really interests” her.
- Not “questions about when you’ll have children”, but “hiring based on qualifications”.
- Not “automatically give maternity leave to the mother”, but “give it to someone who’s more available right now”.
- Not “less pay”, but “equal pay” without assuming that “the men need to feed their families”, and that you, as a women, are satisfied with pennies “for pins” and that it will be enough.
- Not “the weaker sex”, but “equal”.
I wish everyone would recognize themselves as feminists, stand up for their rights, and work consistently to improve their lives!
I would like to wish you happiness!
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