Wearing Makeup Doesn’t Make Me a “Bad Feminist”
Why wearing makeup can be empowering. (Photo: Trunk Archive - Stephanie Rausser)
When I was a junior in high school, my language arts teacher stormed into our classroom in a huff. “Raise your hand if you’re a feminist,” she demanded. She was extremely angry at our response — or lack thereof — and for the next few hours, I had trouble figuring out why. “Feminism” just seemed like such an aggressive term. After getting home and doing some research, however, I understood: Feminism is just the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. Simple. Of course I believed in that.
From that moment on, I found I had a lot of soul-searching to do, and lots of “feminist” questions to answer. Which of my behaviors were damaging to the fight for women’s equality? Was I still allowed to wear a bra? How could I knowledgeably shut down those participating in the marginalization of women?
Soon after, I fell in love with cosmetics, and decided to ultimately pursue a career in the beauty industry. That’s when someone I love and respect posed an earth-shattering question to me that I had somehow failed to consider: Is it possible to wear makeup and be a “good feminist,” or even a feminist at all? I struggled with this question for a long time. I felt guilty covering up my blemishes, applying liquid liner, even dabbing on a hint of lipstick. After all, at the end of the day, I wasn’t going about my beauty routine for other women, so I had to be doing it to satisfy the male gaze, right? I envisioned my bra-burning feminist mothers before me, shaking their heads at my voluntary use of items for the pleasure of the very sex that oppressed me.
Then, I stumbled upon Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay at Barnes & Noble, which I promptly brought to the cash register because, well, the title was exactly what I felt like. One line from the book hit me like a ton of bricks, and has stuck with me ever since: “I believe feminism is grounded in supporting the choices of women even if we wouldn’t make certain choices for ourselves.”
“Hallelujah,” I thought. “Feminism is all about choice!” I chose to wear makeup, and that was OK. Since then, though, I’ve done a lot of thinking, usually while absentmindedly powdering my nose or filling in my brows. I’ve come to realize that there is not a single aspect of my love for makeup that I should feel guilty about. Biggest of all was the realization that, just because I don’t apply makeup for women, doesn’t mean that I’m applying it for men. Actually, I do it for myself. My mother, perhaps the strongest woman in the universe, bought me my first beauty products and taught me how to use them.
I also adore the ritual of my beauty regimen. When everything else around me is falling apart, I know that at the end of the day, I’ll get to wipe off my makeup, go about my skincare routine, and pass out. And in the morning, I’ll gather up my strength again, apply a power-red lipstick, and feel fully ready to take on the world. From my platinum hair all the way down to my pedicured toes, I now know full well why I participate in a beauty regimen: It makes me feel totally empowered.
Sometimes, on doubtful days when even red lipstick doesn’t seem to do the trick, I also like to think of beauty as a reclamation tactic. Just as many members of the LGBT community have chosen to reclaim the hateful word “queer” for their own use and empowerment, so too have we women reclaimed our blush compacts and tubes of lipstick. When I’m out and about and a man admires my makeup-enhanced looks, I’m not proud because I somehow excited him. I’m proud because, damn, my cat-eye flick must be on point, or my lipstick shade is looking particularly flawless with my outfit.
At the end of the day, I know that whether I’m running errands with an entirely bare face or getting glammed up to try to meet guys downtown, I’m not a bad feminist. I’m a woman making a choice about her own body.
Related:
Tyra Banks: “Do I Consider Myself A Feminist? Totally.”
Ariana Grande’s Necessary Call for Feminism and Sisterhood
#ThePowerOfMakeup: The Social Media Movement to Remove the Stigma of Makeup
