‘In the factory we make cosmetics; in the drugstore we sell hope. ‘
– Charles Revson, founder of Revlon.
Make up. This is truly not as easy a topic to write on as the first nine. Make up is political, social, cultural, sexual, contextual and even controversial. It is intended as a value added to improve one’s outward appearance to either enhance or at least conform to an appealing look or self perception.
Make-up is historical. Kohl has been worn traditionally as far back as the Bronze Age (3500 B.C. onward) by the Egyptian queens to darken around the eyes and give them their desired almond shape. One can look at art through the ages to see the eras and how women presented themselves in different eras, from Victorian through Modern. One can look at movies from the 1940’s or 1970’s and know instantly the era in part from how the women ‘faced’ the world.
Make up is also big business. Several websites I saw while researching this say US women spend over $8 Billion dollars annually on make up. That amount is equal to the projected debit for the entire state of New York in fiscal year 2010-11. The one thing that is certain is that this is a significant investment in the self image of American women.
It seems as if every decade following World War II has been defined by a certain idea in make up. I grew up in the 1970’s when three words rules women’s eye shadow - Robin’s Egg Blue. A woman could be any nationality, skin type and tone; but her eye shadow for most of that decade was that color. I had to laugh when I saw several high school aged girls recently trying this look out. Again, when it comes to fashion, everything old is new again.
Trying to draw one single conclusion in a blog post about make-up is like trying to draw one single conclusion in a blog post about eating lunch. It really isn’t all that simple. I think well done make up put on confidently is akin to the matte around a wonderful painting or photograph. It actually makes something appear to look even greater then it already appears.
But these days, what a woman wears on her face seems to be a very individual decision. I recently worked with a woman who used did everything she could to look ‘natural.’ This included a concealer to even out her skin tone, a subtle brown eye shadow, a medium black mascara and just a touch of translucent lip gloss. I think the term ‘natural’ didn’t refer to how she actually looked, but perhaps more about how she felt she should present herself in the daily context of life.
Many guys are generally critical of women’s daily wear make up, especially when they think that the woman applying it will make them late for something. They also will make any story of a woman applying make up in traffic or a public place akin to the most heinous of crime. I always thought it would be interesting if many women called these men’s bluff and declared one day to be make up free. I don’t think that all women would participate, but it would be interesting to see what would happen. I think some guys would say something, many would not and most of these women would have ‘their face’ back on the next day.
