We are under the tyranny of a billion-dollar beauty industry, one that sells us solutions to problems we don’t have and promises endless self-confidence in a bottle. And when I say ‘we,’ I’m mostly referring to women.
Like domestic chores and childcare, the beauty industry is a burden that falls overwhelmingly on women. And more significantly today, on young girls. Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule: women who don’t own a tube of mascara, and men who love to contour. Yet the proof is in the packaging, makeup is marketed almost exclusively to women and clearly an assumed part of the female routine.
Each morning in front of the mirror – whether it’s for ten minutes or an hour – we are at the mercy of our need to enhance our aesthetic. And according to a 2016 British survey, the average woman spends 38 minutes putting on her face every day. That works out to be four and a half hours every week, ten 24-hour days every year and, over the course of a 75-year lifespan, two whole years! Imagine all the things we could achieve in two years if we didn’t conform to the expectations laid out for us.
Expectations is a word I chose carefully, as herein lies the issue:
I was conscious in writing this piece that I didn’t want to be judge-y, nor proselytise on beauty. Of course, makeup is neither ‘good,’ nor ‘bad,’ so it would be inappropriate to moralise on the subject. And I’m not for one moment suggesting that makeup is a foolish investment. I am a passionate advocate for women being allowed to play with their aesthetic in any way they see fit. Makeup, much like the fabrics which we choose to adorn, can be a form of expression. And it’s fun!
The issue I have with the so-called ‘makeup tax’ (the extra time and money women spend in order to look ‘presentable’) is a set of unrealistic expectations that become embedded into the female consciousness from an incredibly young age. We are sent blatant, and perhaps more dangerously, subliminal signals from the media and advertising that suggest female value and agency only lies within our physical appearance. The way in which young girls and women (almost exclusively) subconsciously subscribe to this creed is problematic and cause for concern.
And as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. This study is among many that shows how women appear to be more likeable, and worse, more competent when they’re wearing makeup, which bags them greater salaries and opportunities in life (women who wear too much makeup, on the other hand, apparently come across as less trustworthy). The perception that going au naturel is ‘sloppy’ (similar to that of a man wearing a stained shirt) has rendered makeup the unrelenting standard, rather than a fun accoutrement.
Essentially what this means is women who don’t want to wear makeup are being punished for not doing so – they don’t reap the benefits of higher salaries and higher likability. Therefore, our worth and agency seemingly lies in our physical appearance. The issue isn’t if you love beauty. The issue is if you are punished for not participating in this time-consuming and often ego-busting regime. It would be naïve to pretend beauty has little impact in our day-to-day lives – of course it does. It would be naïve, also, to pretend we aren’t expected to adhere to a set of standards that have somewhat enslaved us.
In a recent episode of The High Low podcast, journalist Dolly Alderton disclosed a situation in which she and a friend, having spent a stressful and labour-intensive day setting up a screening for their short film, quickly hid in a back room to apply makeup as friends and family arrived. ‘I did in that moment feel very enslaved and annoyed by it,’ Alderton admitted. Her friend further admitted, ‘I hate being a woman. Why are we in here? Why are we not out there saying hi to everyone and enjoying our hard work?’
During the same episode, the Alderton-Sykes team discussed author Zadie Smith’s ‘15 minute beauty limit’ on her seven-year old daughter. Smith revealed her rule at the Edinburgh International Book Festival just a few weeks ago,
“I explained it to her in these terms: you are wasting time, your brother is not going to waste any time doing this. Every day of his life he will put a shirt on, he’s out the door and he doesn’t give a shit if you waste an hour and a half doing your make-up.”
“It was better than giving her a big lecture on female beauty, she understood it as a practical term and she sees me and how I get dressed and how long it takes.”
While I don’t completely agree that makeup is a ‘waste’ of time, I do think Zadie’s practical attitude is a helpful stance to bring to the conversation around ‘the makeup tax’ and female productivity. Zadie is entitled to guide her child in whatever way she sees fit, but beauty rules for a seven years old?! Yes, sadly we are in an era now where beauty standards are ubiquitous, even affecting the youngest of girls. YouTube stars who champion hour-long ‘get the look’ tutorials, and Snapchat filters that suck in cheeks and blur blemished skin, are instilling an unattainable beauty standard on vulnerable young girls who cannot differentiate between reality and fiction, nor have had time to develop any deeper sense of self-worth.
It would be remiss to leave the Kardashians out of this discussion – they are of course the family that launched the contouring trend. The Kardashians are at the forefront of a number of beauty trends, many of which were once viewed as extreme but are now normalised: lip filler, full, arched brows, eyelash extensions, strobing, exaggerated lip liner. The standard has undoubtedly shifted, with celebrities and social media stars pushing the ‘ideal’ beauty to its evermore unattainable extreme. And it’s young girls, tweens and teens that are bombarded by daily images on Instagram, YouTube and etc. Kids are normalising a kind of look that was once deemed excessive. What you end up with is a generation that has internalised those beauty standards, accepting and expecting them as the norm, and being riddled with anxiety as a result.
The emphasis on where to find self-esteem is clearly in the wrong place. Zadie Smith laying some groundwork for her seven-year-old can only be a positive thing. Many of the habits we learn in childhood stay with us forever, so teaching young girls and boys to know their own worth and then consider image, if they wish to, makes sense.
And who sets these standards anyway? Who decides what’s beautiful and what’s unattractive? And why should we let them? What’s certain is that the answer is not innocent; as a billion-dollar industry that can impact job aspects, pay rises and likability with the subliminal power it wields, the beauty industry can’t be shrugged off as mere child’s play. We need to be honest about the thral of image and admit the existence of irrational appearance-based pressures for women of all ages, and then take a stand.
I will not add any beauty rules to the ever-growing list of ingredients women need to succeed (speak loud, but don’t be whiny or bossy; tap into your masculinity, but don’t lose your femininity; stand out, but don’t be an attention seeker; and so on). What I will say is that makeup should not be another tightrope women have to walk in order to find certain kinds of professional or personal success, nor should it be a measure of self-worth of any sort. It should be a choice, one made for purposes of self-expression and not to please others or get ahead. We must all learn not to impose superficial standards on others but treat makeup the way we see it – as a bit of fun and experimentation we take creative enjoyment from but that has no bearing on the beauty within.
What are your thoughts on the subject? Weigh-in in the comments section below!