Men Who Don't Like Makeup and the Women They're Hurting

So over the last few days, Buzzfeed has been posting a variety of different articles making fun of men who tell women they shouldn't wear a lot of makeup. In these posts, Buzzfeed has been pointing out the many inconsistencies with men saying these things. The first is that most men seem to be unable to tell the difference between a woman with no makeup on and a woman with minimal or 'natural' makeup on. They poke fun at the fact when presented with three options (no makeup, minimal makeup, and full makeup), men believe that minimal makeup is actually no makeup, so that when a woman actually wears no makeup they believe she is feeling sick.

An example of some men's inability to tell the difference between no makeup and minimal makeup used in a recent Buzzfeed article.

A more recent Buzzfeed article, published just this morning, came out as a response to a GoogleFacts tweet, which said "Studies show men like women who wear less makeup." The article then went on to explain how women shouldn't have to make their makeup choices based on what men think because women can choose to wear makeup for a variety of reasons, none of which have to do with men and their male opinions. I completely agree with this statement but what stood out to me was the fact an article like this was needed. The fact that men's opinions on every aspect of a woman's life and body have become so ingrained in this society that men now feel comfortable commenting with authority on what a woman should and shouldn't put on her face is appalling. And I feel like it is almost an unconscious, consistent form of violence committed against women on a daily basis. Women are constantly taught to think about what they are doing from a perspective of whether or not men would like it. Would a man approve of that hairstyle, of that outfit, of that makeup? And for many women, this could lead to a state of anxiety and insecurity, which is an unfair and tumultuous way to live. It also puts an unreasonable amount of stress on a woman's life because she may or may not be aware of why she is laboring over the way she is presenting herself to the world. Men do not necessarily deal with these issues so it is not fair women have to.

Another humorous tweet used in a recent Buzzfeed article to illustrate the author's point about men not having opinions on what makeup a woman should wear.

I wish we didn't need articles like these, but I think this article and others like it are super important because they're reminding men they don't have authority over women and their bodies while also celebrating women for their choices, whatever they might be.