Make-up & the 'natural look'

Amongst the many different debates which emanated from the use of photo manipulation and airbrushing in 2014, came discussions about whether there was pressure on women to present themselves in a certain, polished way.

So - do you think there's a problem with the lack of women on T.V., in magazines etc., who are makeup free, and embracing their own natural image? Does it signify how our culture tends to objectify women? Or is it a non-issue which has been blown out of proportion?

Also, do you generally find the natural look more attractive (I guess this applies mostly in terms of women, but also men to an extent) or do you think that bold and/or noticeable makeup used well can brighten up and accentuate someone's features to make them look more appealing?

This is a huge issue in my opinion for girls self image just like all men seem to be buff which is negative to boys self image.

Last week I was sourcing images for my new business (selling children's books... in a niche market that I may reveal later.. never give away a good business idea) and I wanted a variety of pictures from different cultures, genders, family types, etc. I wanted it to be very inclusive. But I ran into a HUGE road block when I was trying to get nice pictures of girls reading. They all had make up on! Kids as young as 6! There were some boys that did but the majority didn't. With girls, the overwhelming majority did. In fact, I only found 2 photos that suited my site where the girls weren't wearing lip stick. I ended up having to get images of kids under 5 so that they didn't have make up. (Even some of them did)

On another note, my cousin, who is 13, her mum and my brothers wife all never wear make up. All three have experienced fairly bad bullying for not 'caring.' All three would be your stereotypical model material if they conformed to the magazines.

Yep. I dun like it! (Or for men as well... look up Imagine Dragon - Demons ... a good scene of men/boys body image in that music vid)

Aidy said:

This is a huge issue in my opinion for girls self image just like all men seem to be buff which is negative to boys self image.

Last week I was sourcing images for my new business (selling children's books... in a niche market that I may reveal later.. never give away a good business idea) and I wanted a variety of pictures from different cultures, genders, family types, etc. I wanted it to be very inclusive. But I ran into a HUGE road block when I was trying to get nice pictures of girls reading. They all had make up on! Kids as young as 6! There were some boys that did but the majority didn't. With girls, the overwhelming majority did. In fact, I only found 2 photos that suited my site where the girls weren't wearing lip stick. I ended up having to get images of kids under 5 so that they didn't have make up. (Even some of them did)

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I agree about boys, though I don't think image pressure is as tough on men. The mainstream media are willing to judge men more on what they say and achieve, whilst they still define women too often through straightforward objectification.

As for young girls wearing makeup, I think any pressure on them to do so is insane and entirely unhealthy. My female cousins used to use their mums' makeup to play 'dress-up', which is pretty harmless, but young girls being encouraged to present themselves in this way, and taught to be unsatisfied with their natural appearance is awful. That's without even going into the fact that certain makeup items are often used by women to create a sexy look.

Aidy said:

On another note, my cousin, who is 13, her mum and my brothers wife all never wear make up. All three have experienced fairly bad bullying for not 'caring.' All three would be your stereotypical model material if they conformed to the magazines.

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I think the message that clearly sends, that women should be ashamed of their natural features is extremely harmful. No wonder so many girls grow up with body image issues. However, part of the problem is that money talks, and without this sustained pressure on women to look a certain way, style magazines, YouTube 'beauty gurus' and cosmetics companies would be going out of business overnight!

I will make the caveat that I think dressing well is important in giving a good impression, but doing so doesn't necessarily put any demands or pressures on individuals about how they naturally look. The misconception that women aren't presentable unless they've got their makeup on (an idea sadly prevalent across gender identities) is a far more murky issue.