Make Up Cont.

Today I was discussing Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth with my family friend Alexandra, by the pool. Alexandra had never read the book and asked me to described Wolf's outlook on the make up industry (Wolf views it as a device to keep women subordinate to men). I soon discovered what Alexandra did for a living: she was the former head of marketing for a cosmetic company. She argued that make up had been around since the time of the ancient Egyptians, when women used black kohl to line their eyes.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/01/08-01.html

Make up was introduced prior to women joining the ranks of men in the corporate field. Granted, she is inclined to support cosmetics, but she does have a valid point. Wolf fails to acknowledge the existence of make up before the "beauty myth." Alexandra also explained why she wears make up. Already an attractive woman, she said make up makes her feel more confident. She believes that make up allows her to be the best self she can be. "It's a personal choice," she said, "And I choose to wear make up because it raises my self esteem." Wolf acknowledges the relationship between beauty and self esteem when she says, "...'beauty' lives so deep in the psyche, where sexuality mingles with self-esteem..." (36). Wolf says that telling a woman she is ugly, "...can make her feel ugly, act ugly, and, as far as her experiment is concerned, be ugly, in the place where feeling beautiful keeps her whole" (36). On the contrary, telling a woman the make up makes her beautiful can make a woman feel beautiful and therefore allow her to be beautiful.

I think that both Alexandra and Wolf have justifiable viewpoints. However, I'd have to agree with Alexandra when it comes down to why I wear make up. I wear make up regardless of the situation, because I feel more comfortable with it on. I was talking with my friend yesterday and she goes to an all girls school. When I asked her about make up she said, "Why would I wear make up to school? There are no boys to impress." Many girls probably feel the exact same way. I think the problem arises when women use make up as a tool to validate themselves for men. Wolf articulates that when women allow other people to determine their beauty they lose control of their sense of self worth. She says, "...the power elite can, whenever necessary, form a consensus to strip 'beauty' away" (36).