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Makeup
A Look Into the Politics of Makeup 

TRANSGENDER ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS: TGGuide is seeking writers for articles of interest to the transgender community. We will include information about the author along with links back to your web site. Please submit your articles to webmaster@tgguide.com

By Harper's Bazaar

Helping Hints is published on TGGuide.com with permission of the Author. This article and photographs may not be reprinted without permission of the author.

  For thousands of years we've been decorating our face. But why?

     Tina Gaudoin debates the politics of Makeup
 

Never mind the adage men don't cry. In this culture (by and large), men don't wear makeup. 
|Elementary? Well, think about it. In 1991 American women spent $4.7 billion on maquillage and 
millions of hours on the choice of product and their application. 
For most of us, that's probably dollars and time well spent. Nonetheless, 
it begs the question: Why, and for whom? Is makeup part of our mating ritual? 
A pleasure enhanceOr is it our protection (physically and metaphorically) against 
the outside world? Do we wear it for ourselves or for others? 
And, perhaps most important, are we in danger of becoming 
makeup-dependent? "If we did away with the cosmetics companies 
and advertising completely, women would reinvent the industry. 
Making up is quite literally in our genes; it's part of 
our genetic reproductive strategy," says Helen Fisher, Ph.D., 
an anthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History in 
New York. Fisher contends that in a society where males 
traditionally choose females, decoration and youth are 
immensely important. "From a Darwinian perspective, the male 
wants to pick the best-looking, youngest female with the 
freshest supply of eggs. A woman instinctively knows that it's 
to her advantage to look younger and that makeup can help." 
"Looking young and healthy with the help of makeup is second-
best to being young and healthy," agrees Arie Kopelman, 
president and chief operating officer of Chanel, Inc. And while 
cosmetics bigwigs are obviously likely to be upbeat where 
maquillage is concerned, few of us would question the premise 
that we feel better and more attractive with, rather than 
without, makeup. 

   **********************

Wearing makeup is not just about attracting a mate; it's the 
polilical implications of the ritual that need serious 
consideration. 

   **********************

In our culture, it's not so much the wearing of makeup as the 
social attitudes relating to its application that rile many 
women. "Makeup is not just about decorating the face, which has 
long been a tradition in the history of humans," says Carol 
Tavris, author of The Mismeasure of Woman. "The issue today is, 
which sex is expected to paint, and for what?" According to 
Tavris, facial decoration has long been a rite of passage for 
war, religion, and sometimes beauty. What she finds alarming is 
that makeup is now regarded as a necessity for women. (How many 
of us feel improperly dressed and unable to face the day 
without going through our makeup routine, no matter how 
cursory?) 

"Women feel they have to measure up to a makeup standard," says 
Tavris. The implication is that failing to meet makeup 
expectations can be an indictment of one's personality or one's 
ability. "Consider the term make up--what it implies 
psychologically is that you are compensating for something you 
don't have," says Linda Barbanel, C.S.W., a Manhattan-based 
psychotherapist. "It's peer pressure; you feel you have to look 
like everyone else," admits one Bergdorf Goodman shopper when 
asked about her reasons for loitering at the cosmetics 
counters.

Peer pressure or not, in makeup's defense is the fact that it 
has been around in one form or another for a long, long time. 
Cleopatra made good use of kohl and hair dye, the Elizabethans 
used a white lead compound to obtain a fashionable pallor, and 
the Victorians bit their lips and rubbed their cheeks furiously 
to effect the necessary high color. "As far back as we can go, 
we're finding vials of hair dye and pots of face paint," says 
Fisher. In other cultures, body paint, tattoos, or adornment 
such as neck rings, lip plates, or nosepiercing amount to much 
the same thing as Westernized lip gloss and eyeshadow 
(although, admittedly, it's often the opposite sex doing the 
adorning).

Inevitably, the media take a good deal of flak for allegedly 
"coercing" women into believing that makeup equals social 
approval. Naomi Wolf, author of the much-touted The Beauty 
Myth, claims that it's not making up that she disapproves of, 
it's the idea that women have been "manipulated" by the media 
into feeling that they have to wear makeup in order to be 
"approved of and to look feminine." Wolf says that our idea of 
perfect beauty is warped because the embodiment of that concept 
is almost always coated in professional makeup. "In other 
cultures, makeup is a source of pleasure and delight--why not 
in ours?" she asks.

But many women would argue that, for them, the application of 
makeup is quite simply a necessary, exceptionally pleasurable 
part of their day. "Forget the beauty myth. I adore applying my 
makeup--it gives me pleasure and confidence," says one Oxford 
graduate. "Feminism has nothing to do with it," asserts Gale 
Hayman, owner and creator of Gale Hayman, Inc. "Every woman 
wants to look her best, and, frankly, a naked face is not 
anyone's best look." Applied correctly, there is little doubt 
makeup can enhance features, and as Richard Hartigan, president 
of Lancaster Cosmetics so diplomatically puts it, can "mask 
minor imperfections." And it's not just women who benefit. Bob 
Mills, makeup artist for Pretty Woman, points out that actors 
are as dependent on makeup to hide facial flaws as actresses 
are. (Julia Roberts was not the only one submitting to shading 
and enhancing on the Pretty Woman set.)

Tied in to the benefits of makeup is the idea that it 
reinforces self-esteem. "Makeup can have a great effect 
psychologically; it can literally brighten you up," says Mark 
Hayles, a New York-based freelance makeup artist. Nowhere is 
that premise borne out more effectively and convincingly than 
in the Look Good... Feel Better (LGFB) program. Implemented by 
the American Cancer Society in conjunction with the Cosmetic, 
Toiletry, and Fragrance Association and the National 
Cosmetology Association, over the past three years the 
nationwide organization has helped 25,000 women afflicted with 
cancer to improve their appearance through hairstyling and 
makeup. Julia Rowland, Ph.D., director of the psycho-oncology 
program at Georgetown University, explains that cancer assaults 
patients' self-esteem and self-image and the program helps 
combat negative feelings by showing women how to look their 
best. Rowland points to ongoing studies that aim to prove that 
there is a direct link between healing and a positive self-
image. Knots Landing's Joan Van Ark, the National Cosmetology 
Association's LGFB celebrity spokesperson, explains the 
lipstick theory: "When a woman reaches for her lipstick, we 
know she is back on the road to recovery." As testament to the 
power of makeup, some LGFB female cancer patients complain, 
somewhat ironically, that they look so "well" they fail to get 
the support they need. Directly related to that issue is the 
question of why painting our lips, highlighting our eyes, 
lengthening our lashes, and rouging our cheeks should 
necessarily alter our mood and self-perception (as well as 
others' perceptions of us) so radically.

It seems it's the idea of what constitutes "perfect beauty" 
that figures so largely in the self-esteem and makeup equation. 
Our learned association between makeup and beauty begins very 
early in life. "As children, we're socialized to think that 
makeup equals attractiveness," says Rita Freedman, Ph.D.. a 
clinical psychologist and author of Bodylove: Learning to Like 
Our Looks--and Ourselves. (Remember how we were all compelled 
to wear as much of Mommy's makeup as possible because it made 
us feel "pretty" and "adult"?) "I remember my aunt telling me 
that the only reason to grow up was to be able to wear red 
lipstick," says New York film producer Nina Colman. "I wear 
makeup for myself and for my mom--she told me never to leave 
the house without it," says one Bloomingdale's shopper. 

Needless to say, our desire as children to look "just like 
Mommy" didn't escape the marketeers. Little Miss Makeup, a doll 
described by one mother as having "the body of a four-year-old 
and the face of a hooker," was one of the best-selling dolls on 
the market. So it's quite likely that our ideas of what 
constitutes the right sort of makeup are formed very early on, 
either by what our mothers wear or, in some cases, by our toys. 
"For children, glitz and tons of makeup win every time," says 
Roseann Radosevich, design director of girls' toys for Hasbro, 
who claims that in tests with children, dolls with what she 
describes as "flashy" makeup almost always come out on top in 
popularity. 

As well as being a tool to convince ourselves that we are 
pretty, confident, or even more mature, makeup is often a means 
of telling the outside world who we are and how we want to be 
perceived. "Makeup can send out incredible messages," says 
Ronnie Specter, the makeup artist responsible for the 
metamorphosis of Michelle Pfeiffer from nerdy secretary to 
empowered, half-crazed Catwoman in Batman Returns. Not only is 
makeup often fundamental to the story lines in movies, but, 
says Specter, it also enables actresses to get into character 
and to distance themselves from what thev are actually doing. 
"Makeup can become a barrier between the actor and the real 
world," says Van Ark. "I'd rather stand in front of the camera 
naked than without makeup." Ve Neill, who oversaw Danny 
DeVito's penguin guise in Batman Returns, claims that during 
the laborious process of applying the makeup and prosthesis, 
DeVito actually "became" the penguin, birdlike squawks and all. 
And, says Neill, the same principle (barring the bird face and 
appropriate noises) could be applied to women who literally 
"put on" their face and become not necessarily who they really 
are, but the person they want to present to the outside world.

Women also tend to use makeup to express their personality and 
their needs. "Some women use makeup as a billboard -- they're 
delinitely advertising," claims Horst Rechelbacher, president 
of Aveda. But advertising what? Some experts suggest the prime 
target market is men. "Putting on your face gives out the 
signal 'I want to be attractive to vou. come and get me,'" says 
Robin Tolmach Lakoff, professor of linguistics at the 
University of California at Berkeley. Talk-show host Joan 
Rivers says that she only wears makeup for men. "Forget the 
idea that you wear it for yourself or for other women--I never 
even put on an eyelash for any member of my sex." "Women 
undoubtedly wear makeup for men. Why else would a woman ask her 
husband, 'Honey, do I look okay?'" says Borghese president 
Matthew Rubel. "It's not that the guy's an expert in makeup, 
it's just that she wants his approval." And whether they like 
to admit it or not, most men subscribe to the "she looks better 
with makeup" school of thought. "Men always say that they like 
the natural look, but when they're asked to choose, they 
inevitably go for the image that's made up," says Freedman.

  ************************

Women act as censors of other women, persuading them to toe the 
line. If you're wearing the right makeup, you're likely to be 
an okay person. 

  ************************

But wearing makeup is not just about attracting a mate; it's 
the political implications of the ritual that need serious 
consideration. So integrated is the wearing of makeup within 
our social system that it invites value judgments based solely 
on the way a woman is (or isn't) made up. In the workplace, 
failing to wear what is considered the "right" makeup can have 
serious ramifications. Take the case of Teresa Fischette, a 
Continental Airlines flight attendant who was recently fired 
for refusing to wear makeup on the job. Although the case never 
went to court, the Massachusetts branch of the American Civil 
Liberties Union came out in her support. But this case is only 
the tip of the iceberg. One law school graduate describes how 
his top law firm interviewed for support staff and paralegals 
by determining whether they passed the so-called ha-ha test. 
"That quite literally means that if their appearance made you 
laugh when they came through the door, then they wouldn't get 
the job," says the graduate. And did makeup figure into this? 
"Yes, definitely." "You have to look right for the job. If you 
look frivolous at a bank, then customers will think you'll be 
frivolous with their money; but if you're in advertising, then 
you have to look fashionable," says Judith Waters, Ph.D., 
professor of psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. 
Wearing makeup and looking put-together can also indicate 
respect for your future employer or for the person with whom 
you are meeting. "When I interview someone and she looks nicely 
made up, I'm flattered and influenced by the fact that she took 
the time," says Evelyn Lauder, senior corporate vice president 
of Estee Lauder Companies.

Wearing appropriate makeup might not just get you the job -- it 
could also make a difference to your earnings potential. Two 
studies, one of recent Harvard MBAs and the other of women of 
all age groups including those over 65 (on average the lowest 
wage earners in the country), illustrated that all groups could 
substantially increase their wages by wearing strategically 
applied makeup. Waters, who designed the latter study, contends 
that the older women get, the more necessary it is for them to 
use makeup to create the illusion of youth. "In our society we 
get used to a certain look, and if the skin doesn't look 
youthful, we unfortunately assume the brain is in the same 
condition." 

Somewhat surprisingly, within a social setting it's more likely 
to be women, rather than men, who respond negatively to women 
wearing what they consider to be inappropriate makeup. (How 
often have you mentally disparaged a woman who you think is 
wearing unsuitable makeup?) "When I see a woman on the beach 
wearing full makeup, I automatically assume that I won't like 
her because she obviously doesn't see life as I do," says one 
fashion editor. Market research conducted by Lancome found that 
female customers were frightened away from cosmetic counters by 
saleswomen wearing "too much" makeup. "Women were afraid to 
walk up to the counters because they didn't want to come away 
looking like the person who was selling the makeup," says 
Lancome's deputy general manager, Margaret Sharkey. "Women act 
as censors of other women, persuading them to toe the line," 
says Lakoff. "If you're wearing the right makeup, you're likely 
to be an okay person in the eyes of others." More often than 
not, she adds, it's the women who wear no makeup who present 
the biggest threat because they're sending out unnerving 
signals that suggest they have a high enough self-esteem 
without the help of makeup. 

So ingrained is the wearing of makeup in our culture that there 
may be a danger of women becoming makeup-dependent. There are 
tllose among us, however, who think that might not be such a 
bad thing. (Makeup does, after all, protect the skin against 
ever-increasing environmental pollution.) Nonetheless, 
empirical research suggests that the stories about the woman 
who rises an hour earlier than her husband to put on her face 
so that he may never see her "facially naked," or the woman who 
won't leave her house without makeup, are true. For some women, 
makeup may actually become a barrier against the outside world, 
one they feel unable to cope without. (Some women can't even 
make telephone calls without their face on.) "Makeup is a 
security blanket; it gives you some control over the image you 
present to the world. But just like dressing, there's a fine 
line between what's appropriate and what isn't," says designer 
Donna Karan. "Makeup dependency is generally a reflection of 
low self-esteem, and it means that a woman feels physically 
unacceptable in her natural state," says Elaine Hatfield, co-
author of Mirror, Mirror: Importance of Looks in Everyday Life. 
Being dependent on lip gloss and blush is one thing, but 
feeling the need to wear a full face of heavy makeup even when 
you're staying home for the day is quite another. "The human 
animal is capable of remarkable self-deception, so that when a 
woman looks at her reflection in the mirror, she will not see 
her makeup, only what she thinks of as her 'face'" says Fisher.

Dependency aside, the word on makeup is essentially upbeat. 
That women have been socialized into feeling the need to wear 
makeup in order to be perceived as attractive and competent may 
be wrong and unjust, but it is a given; and if we choose to, 
those of us who wear makeup can use it to our advantage. To use 
the male vernacular: We can play the game. "Makeup is power," 
says Lea Seigel, a New York makeup artist. "A woman who appears 
to take pride in her appearance can command more respect and is 
perceived of as more authoritative." And makeup has other uses 
and advantages that most males wish they could avail themselves 
of, disguise and enhancement being two. "I know what my face 
looks like without makeup, and I don't want to do that to 
anyone else," laughs Evelyn Lauder. "Women don't have an 
addiction, they have a predisposition toward wearing makeup 
that is closely linked to the mating game," says Fisher, who 
adds as an ironic afterthought: "And the mating game is the 
only game in town...." 
Copyright - Harper's Bazaar
 

This Transgender article is Published on TGGuide.com with express permission of the Author. All rights are reserved by the original author. Any reproduction without permission is prohibited.


TRANSGENDER ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS: TGGuide is seeking writers for articles of interest to the transgender community. We will include information about the author along with links back to your web site. Please submit your articles to webmaster@tgguide.com

 

 

 

 

 

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