*Bahh! I talked to my friend and it turned out that though she still does not have extremely positive views about makeup, she doesn't think that girls who wear it are "stupid." She meant to say that she believes that very young girls should not be wearing extremely heavy makeup. Which I still agree with her to certain extents...but we won't get into that. Anyway, sorry for any confusion. Don't worry, we worked things out email can just misconstrue words sometimes.

LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGG RANT ahead. Be warned.

My best friend and I were having a conversation yesterday and she kept telling me how pointless makeup was, especially for younger girls (I would consider us young since I'm only 18.) She believed that the media is behind all of this and how they're telling us "you're not pretty enough, you need such and such to make you look better!" and believes in natural beauty, all the way. Even though I agree to CERTAIN extents that the media places pressure upon us to look beautiful all the time, I still can find merits in makeup.

Even though she kept saying "but I don't care if you wear makeup" I couldn't help but feel mildly insulted by her when she kept basically saying, to put it bluntly, that women who wear makeup are only conforming to society's twisted standards of beauty (and are basically dumb for doing so.) According to her she doesn't believe in how makeup "enhances" (with the exception of concealer to cover up your eyes and blemishes) a girl's look (for example, mascara "enhances" my own usually thin and stick-straight eyelashes) and doesn't believe it makes people look more hygienic. I told her that in the workforce, makeup helps women look more polished and defined. She said bullcrap, I've worked in a professional business setting and I've seen women not wear makeup. I believe (and was told by my mother) that not wearing makeup in a professional setting (such as a wedding, award ceremony, etc) is actually rude. She told me not so.

She keeps on saying that the media only tells us that we're not pretty enough, and by giving into them we're just being stupid and falling for their dumb tricks. And she thinks that girls who wear makeup look stupid (indirect insult right there!!!) I honestly beg to differ. I see nothing wrong in wanting to enhance what you lack. I don't have prominent eyelashes, so why not use mascara to bring out my eyes even more so? You honestly CAN tell the difference in my eyes when I wear mascara. So are you saying that all makeup is pointless then why not let all of your bags and blemishes show, out in the open? I mean, that's what truely NATURAL beauty should be anyhow, right? After all, the media still pressures us into having clear, perfect smooth skin, so by wearing concealer/foundation aren't you giving into that too?? I mean if you were TRULY against all of that "conform to such and such beauty standard" you would want to go all the way, not hold a half-baked position. That was the main issue I found with her argument. If she wants to say no makeup, then so be it, no makeup. But you have to go ALL the way with it then, and not only attack the non-skin based makeups.

And who says makeup can't be an expression of art as well? I know plenty of people (on here and other places as well) who wear makeup to express themselves, and they do so beautifully. Are you calling that stupid too?

You know what, if she doesn't want to wear it, fine. I'll still love her no matter what. The same goes with anyone. I won't not be your friend if you don't wear makeup. But just because she doesn't believe in makeup doesn't mean I don't either. And I cannot disagree with her more on her viewpoints. Makeup is NOT pointless.

*phew* it was great getting that off my chest.

Any thoughts? Do you ladies have any ideas to back me up here :P

i totally agree with you on this luvsic!! your friend is kinf of contradicting herself because concealer is make up and it enhances people's beauty because it hides the dark circles!
I get girls who say to me that i should only wear make up if i'm going to a party or a wedding and that i shouldn't wear make up to go shopping or to go to university and i'll be like WTF!!!!
I love to wear make up and it's a way of expressing muself and my passion for it, although i'm not a professional or anything it kind of expresses me!

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I agree as well! Makeup is something I love and I see no problem with be wearing it whenever, where-ever, and how ever I want to. It's kind of like my art form. Everyone has something artistic and makeup is mine. My boyfriend will bug me (all in good fun of course) and ask me why I love it and why I NEED so much lol, but he knows it important and he likes what I do and thats what counts. We need more MU-tolerance!

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Thanks girls. I agree. If you say that makeup is dumb and don't consider it a form of art (with the human body functioning as the canvas), then you can say that paintings or sculpture's can't be considered art either. It really is a form of expression, and to me, I just use it to look more polished. After all, we aren't all born with "natural beauty" all the time. And if I feel better with a bit of mascara and lip gloss, saying that makes me look stupid is pushing it.

People since the dawn of time have been doing stuff to enhance their natural looks, without the current media.

Make-up is pointless in some ways, but so are a lot of life's pleasures. The main point is that they're enjoyable and life's pleasures.

We all have vanity in something. Does your friend wear the same outfit day in and day out, regardless? If not, she obviously cares about her looks on some level.

I wear make-up for me, because I like the way I look when I wear it. It's not done to make me look like somebody else. My flashy colours are a part of my personality. I have no problem walking out of the house without any make-up on... if I was conforming to society's beliefs, then I wouldn't feel comfortable enough to do this.

To say that wearing make-up is pointless or just caused by media pressure is rather ignorant in my opinion. Sure there is some media pressure, but most people wear make-up to appear a certain way that makes them happy. You wouldn't roll out of bed and go to work with messy hair and pj's... because you care about your appearance.

I wouldn't quite go so far as to say Not wearing makeup in a professional setting is rude.

I hardly ever wear makeup, Do I think it's pointless? no, I like makeup but I Don't have the time to apply it everyday, Ive been to a few weddings Makeup-less, and I've never worn makeup to work.

I do my hair. thats about all I have time for.

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hey there,

I definately see your point (Beauty_Mark). She does not wear the same outfit every day, but it's mostly for hygiene reasons (she'll wear the same type of outfit - t-shirt and jeans) She doesn't really care about the way she looks, or so she claims.

I am adding a point: I can see how she thinks makeup is pointless, and unlike her I can see how it can be used to achieve a more "polished" look. But all in all, I think most girls who don't use makeup as a form of self expression or art would say that wearing it makes them feel more presentable to the world. It does not necessarily make them look BETTER, but more clean-cut or professional. That is how I feel about it anyway. And yes, mascara and lipstick CAN be used to make women look more polished.

Just out of curiosity, what are some things people do to enhance their looks? And why?

I guess it boils down to personal experience, because everywhere I have gone (in terms of professional settings) people have at least been wearing minimal makeup. Hmmm. I also think it depends on the degree of the event. I don't know where you work, but I am going to be working in the corporate world; I believe that women at least wear a bit of makeup there. I think there's a difference between not having time to wear makeup everyday and refusing to wear it altogether, however.

Uh... here are my 2 cents.
It is by no means rude not to wear makeup on any given occasion. I personally believe that yes, concealer is makeup, but there are also two sides to makeup. The first side is the "correction/enhancement" side and the second being the "artistic" side. There is nothing wrong with either in moderation.

I feel that there is a problem if people can't accept who they are to the extent that they are not only trying to "correct or enhance" (perfectly fine), but to the point that they try to mask it and make everyone believe that the mask is reality. A lot of people I know who wear it don't go that far, but I have seen some who do (women who won't leave home without their makeup on).

I agree with your friend that the media does put a lot of pressure on women to look a certain way, but I don't believe that people who give into that pressure are stupid in any way. I think it means that there is some social standard that you are expected to conform to, and if you don't, you can be made fun of and ostracism isn't a walk in the park. Now it is true that this won't be the case with every person who wears makeup.

I think that there are irrational people on both sides of this argument: people who think that natural beauty is unacceptable and ugly, and people who think that creative or corrective beauty is sheer stupidity and cowardice from reality.

No one should feel obligated to wear makeup, but in the same since no one should feel obligated avoid it with a red hot poker either.

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Before:

After:
"now that's more like it".

Make-up is an art that has been around since women rubbed kohl on their eyes and thought "I look hot". I think by wearing more non-conformist make up you're going against what your friend says.

I went to an all girls school and heard the same junk from almost every girl, like we're pressured for this, and that, blah blah blah. But you tell me when was the last time you felt pressure to put on red e/s, aqua e/l, or black lipstick?

It's an art and your face is the canvas. Make up is art that is alive because it's part of you when you wear it and how you wear it. There's some kind of feeling you need to have when you wear red lipstick or bright pink eyeshadow. You don't need to hide behind the neutrals, you're showing your face and your art, putting it out there for the world to see. You have to have the mindset of thinking that YOU like it and that's all that matters.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum

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Uh, I feel like not wearing makeup makes me feel more presentable to the world. When I'm wearing makeup that's just one more thing for me to worry about, and I am the most presentable when I am not worried about the small things in life. Sure it's fun, but for me it's playtime and nothing more.

I would say that makeup does not make everyone look more polished unless they know what they should be going for (you know who I'm talking about, the people who go for 3 shades lighter or 3 shades darker).

I think the real thing that makes people look more polished and more presentable is confidence.

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Before:

After:
"now that's more like it".

I was working in the corporate world, I had to dress nice, I don't feel I need to wear makeup everyday. I wear moisturizer with 20spf , and sometimes chapstick. Im really low maintenance but I don't walk a