Lipstick Feminism: Is Makeup Anti-Feminist, or Pro-Feminist?

Dec 5, 2010

Erin Z.

Great point. I'm inclined to agree. I feel like makeup, just like fashion...can be a source of power, not oppression for those who use it as such (men and women included). My students were very caught up in the idea of "marks". That makeup can be a "mark" to be identified as "not male" and therefore "other". Society has always treated "otherness" (black, female, queer, fat...etc) as less than or vice, while white heterosexual males are treated as above, and therefore virtue.

But like you said, a lot of women don't wear makeup because they feel a sense of pressure to conform to standards of beauty, many (myself included) wear it in direct opposition of beauty standards. I wear loud, crazy colors, I go overtop, and in doing so, call attention to my "otherness" my "femaleness" as a sense of power in that gender performance. 

Dec 5, 2010

Erin Z.

Hey Dolls! I'm rather new to the site, but so many of you are super smart, well spoken, and very opinionated, so I thought this may be an interesting topic of discourse.

I consider myself a feminist to the bone! I teach a class called French Feminism and Body Politics, so I get a LOT of female students. The other day the class got into a rather heated discussion on makeup being anti-feminist and oppressive. Obviously by my presence on this site, I'd say it's really easy to see where I stand on that topic. I love makeup! And I use it as an important power tool in what I like to think of as my gender "performativity". But that is just my take on it. What do you all think?

Is makeup oppressive to women? Do you feel it's possible to be into makeup, hair, fashion, and feminism? Just curious about your thoughts!