"Beauty" Musings

I've had this sitting in my queue to review & post for a while. I feel like I need to get this out to move forward with this blog.

One thing I don't mention in my profile is that I'm a feminist. Partially because for many, that's a big scary word that connotes all sorts of awful things and partially because it seems that makeup and feminism have very little in common. I'm sure there are some out there who would call me a hypocrite for being makeup-obsessed and a feminist. But to me, wanting social, economic, and political equality for the sexes has nothing to do with makeup the majority of the time. Then I get an e-mail from glamour.com (I get daily beauty tips that are honestly pretty worthless) about "the perfect transition nail polish" and on top of this fabulous post I read on my friend's blog the day before something in me just snapped a little. This stuff that we do, the selling of things, is meant to make us all feel inferior. I know that, most of us know that. But that doesn't mean we're aware of it all the time or that we are always able to resist its effect on us.



So here's what gets to me: we, as women, get messages from all around us that we need to spend mental energy on our appearances, down to every last detail. I will admit to being tempted by Latisse for a little while, but the side effects aren't worth it and honestly, my lashes are pretty darn nice the way they are. But the e-mail about the perfect polish color to wear from summer into fall just drove me up the wall. I have a few things to say to that. One, we have better things to worry about than "transition polish" unless we're beauty editors and that's how we make our money. Two, polish is changed pretty frequently, especially on fingernails. Is there really a NEED for a "transitional" polish? Shouldn't we wear whatever color we want, regardless of season? And if our polish lasts a week or two, does it really need to transition between the seasons? It's not a cardigan!



The overall message is that we direct our energies into trivial details and spend time focusing on our appearance. If we do that, what mental energy do we have left over for our other pursuits? I honestly need to spend more time focused on treatment planning than outfit planning. The very idea of something like transitional polish or even transitional makeup (hypocrite alert!) is somewhat foreign to me because I prefer to wear what I like, when I like. I do transition colors by season, sort of, but I don't let that stop me if I want to wear a dark lipstick in summer or bright colors in winter. I don't put a whole lot of effort into figuring out what makeup I should wear for which season.

Clearly, I love makeup. I wear it almost every day. I enjoy playing with different colors and textures, finding new uses for products, and having fun. But I don't think anyone needs to be thinking about it in the minute details that are suggested by marketing such as the previously-referenced e-mail. Unless, as I said above, they're beauty editors and that's what they are paid to do. Let's be honest: most women have one or two looks that they do over and over and over again. I include myself in that category, because it's easier than being adventurous on a day-to-day basis. Plus it's less expensive. I think it's important to make ourselves feel beautiful and even sexy, because caring for ourselves makes us feel good. But that beauty should not be at the expense of other parts of our lives. Making ourselves beautiful may have nothing to do with makeup and everything to do with clothing, hair, or inner beauty through good deeds. My thoughts get a little jumbled at this point. Let me say that this idea of not spending excessive amounts of mental energy on appearance leads to a business opportunity, something I'll be introducing and promoting as a way to help women streamline their lives to make time for everything else they want to do.

Like I said, I'm makeup obsessed and think it's important to feel good about how we look. But I think that needs to come from inside, not from external validation like magazine articles or e-mails about how to look our best. I'll post again soon explaining my service and what I want to help women accomplish with it.