Across generations of women, one trend seems to persist: makeup. Imbedded in society as a norm, most woman dabble with makeup during their lifetime, often painting foundation on their faces and cloaking their eyes in black liner. From Marilyn Monroe's smokey eye to Oprah's subtle lipstick, makeup permeates across decades as societal expectations for women equally persist. Dating back to the era in which women were legal property to men, and husbands acted as the sole providers of money and food, a woman's value was placed in her ability to bear children, care for the house, and or be attractive. Although demographics have progressed for working women and legally great strides have been made for equal rights, the insidious expectation that a woman's value is based on her external appearance persists through culture in the form of sexist advertisements and the objectification of women in media. If a woman's value is stored in her long blonde locks, red lips, blushed cheeks, and appeal, what better way is there to increase physical attractiveness than makeup?
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Questions to Consider:
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Makeup is a mode of self-expression, yet also cultivates a sense of insecurity with every brushstroke of foundation: Women must apply makeup to appear younger, more attractive, and flawless, but the markings of eye-liner and lipstick must be mute enough to appear natural. Trying to look naturally beautiful while using artificial products is a challenge many women face in their endeavor to avoid feeling vain. Makeup intends to empower women with confidence, but it also covertly suggests that in order to be beautiful, one must use their products, implying that their natural looks are not enough. Companies, like Benefit cosmetics, exploit these insecurities to sell products.
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