Embed from Getty Images
On Friday we talked about Rita Wilson’s thoughts on makeup, which was that she doesn’t like to wear it at home but has a “live and let live” approach to it. (I was surprised how popular that story was!) She wasn’t telling other women not to wear it, she was wondering out loud what it would be like if no one wore makeup and speculated that it would level the beauty field, essentially. Rita was talking to People Magazine for their most beautiful issue, and they also got some quotes from Lizzo on makeup and self image. Lizzo’s cause is body image and body positivity, so it’s nice to hear from her on different but related subject. I don’t agree with her take, but let’s get to that after her quotes.
For [Lizzo], 31, the alone time at home has meant a break from her super fast-paced routine — and usual glam sessions. If there’s a silver lining to being in quarantine, “I think it’s cool that we get the opportunity to turn off,” says the singer. “My dream is to just take off my nails, not wear makeup and just grow my ‘fro out and walk around naked in my own garden.”
She continues, “I think I’ve been in makeup every single day of my life for the last six months. We get addicted to seeing ourselves really dolled up. I had a few days off in Brazil back in February where I wasn’t in makeup and I remember being like, ‘Yo why am I so ugly to myself right now?…
“It’s because I got addicted, used to seeing my face with contour. I never thought that would happen because I’m such an earthy bitch, I can go days without makeup!’” And for that reason, she’s pleased with all the bare faces she’s seeing right now, including her own.
“What’s been really cool is seeing all of these people who are in glam every single day, not in glam every single day. I think that’s f—ing sick!”
“I’ve been cooking, which is exciting and I cook for one. It’s just me up in here and I love being able to meditate. And I’ve been taking f—ing baths! This is the first time I ever had a bathtub in my house that I can actually fit in and I’ve been using that [thing].”
[From People]
It has been nice to see people without makeup, but how is makeup an addiction? It’s a preference and we get “accustomed” to it, not addicted! You know my stance on makeup, I put it on most mornings even when I’m at home. Of course I’m not going out much now but I have so many video conferences that I may as well wear it. I also prefer the way I look with makeup, but I don’t think of it as an addiction at all. In fact this never occurred to me until now. Sugar and caffeine are addictions, makeup is a habit and preference. I’m defensive about this because I’m not about to stop wearing makeup at this point. We shouldn’t pressure anyone to wear makeup, just as we shouldn’t try to make them feel bad about preferring to wear it. She’s not doing that here though.
Also I hear her on cooking more (I’ve also been baking) and taking more baths. My water bill has been up so I’m trying to cut it down.
Lizzo did a whole half hour meditation with crystals and her flute on Instagram! I appreciate that she didn’t just do an Insta story either. I might actually try to do this.
My mum always wears makeup, even in lockdown, it’s part of her personality and I get it, but I remember when I was a teen and I was starting experimenting she told me “be careful because if you start you can’t see your face naturale anymore”.
I don’t have an opinion, I go without makeup because I am lazy, I enjoy watching tutorials on youtube, but I always get the impression that you have to put TON of makeup on your face, and that most of time girls look older with all that stuff on, they don’t look bad, they look good, but older.
I admit that, like your mum, I also “put my face on” every day. For one thing, I’m working from home and have at least one video conference a day. But, aside from that, the act of getting up, having a shower, getting dressed, and putting on my makeup makes me feel a bit more “normal” through all of it.
I definitely think it can become an addiction in a sense of never being able to see yourself as a beautiful being when you’re not wearing makeup because you can’t see your “flaws” as pretty when you’re used to covering them and not seeing them.
I am not saying it is an addiction for you, Celebitchy, by any means, I’m just saying I think it can become to someone.
Personally, I do think I look better with makeup, but.. I don’t think I’m 100% me when I wear makeup and I tend to want to feel like myself without an addition on my face, especially now.
Yes, I was trying to find my words in explaining what I took from her comments, and you really nailed it. I think some people absolutely need it for their self-esteem, and that is too bad
Yes. Makeup can be a habit or a preference for some people. And it can absolutely become an addiction for others. Just like some people can have fun gambling sometimes and others become addicted to it.
Behaviors can become an addiction through a reward system. We wear makeup, and people tell us how pretty we look or reinforce the behavior in a certain way. That reinforcement makes us feel good. And some people may become addicted to that feeling.
It’s just like any behavior. Not everyone who does it is addicted to it, but people certainly can become addicted to it.
@Laalaa, I agree. Frankly, I stopped wearing it because I didn’t have time with a rambunctious toddler (now 19), and I was disturbed by the fact that I didn’t think I looked good without it on days that I couldn’t do it. I put it on mascara and lipstick for special occasions now. I am thinking of buying magnetic eyelashes instead of mascara, but I use mascara once or twice per year now, so I’m afraid of paying for the magnetic eyeliner every time I use them because I’d get one use per bottle.
When I was in my teens, 20s and 30s, I wore full makeup. I eat a lot better now, and I feel like my skin, with all of its freckling and sun damage, still looks better than it did when i wore makeup. I have a friend who permanently lost some of her eyelashes because of a childhood illness, and the eye make up balances how her eyes look to others. Some women have skin discoloration and are uncomfortable with the stares from immature idiots. I have a friend who barely has eyebrows naturally, so she gets tattooed. These friends want to blend in with other women better. Then you see Winnie Harlow, someone whose coloring would require a lot of makeup to even out; she is beautiful, but she’s used to seeing herself this way.
I think that Lizzo is right, but women have a lot of battles in life. If a little eyeliner makes the battle of being a woman in this world feel a little lighter, more power to everyone who gets that boost.
I never wear makeup unless I’m going out, and when I say out, I mean, like out on a date night or to a party. I work from home, so I don’t regularly put it on. It creates a whole other chore–taking it off at the end of the day, which is or can be a pain. (I’ve been unhappy with my eye makeup remover for a bit now…) I just feel like it’s better for my skin not to wear it unless I need to
I sort of wish I had the energy to be a real make up all the time person, because it would be nice to look good more, but I’m not very good at it and I just don’t want to make the time to do it. And again, ughhhh taking it off at the end of the day, such a pain! My mother always slept in hers, but somehow still looks 20 years younger than her age. I don’t appear to have those genes, poor me!
When I wear makeup I don’t put anything on my skin, first of all I have a problem with the colour, and my skin is ok so I don’t thing I need it, I go out with mascara and lipstick and for me it’s HUGE. People are so used to see me without anything they always notice I am different.
So I think it’s ok for me.
I’ve been trying to remember to put some lipstick on when I go out, back before the days of masks, but sometimes I feel like it looks weird on me without anything else. I wish I liked my skin w/o a little something, but I don’t 🙁 And I think that was part of Lizzo’s point. My skin is basically fine, I need to be kinder to myself.
I go through phases of wearing makeup and then not wearing it. I’ve always worn lip color though, even if it’s just a lightly colored gloss. However, even that is stopping now bc I am wearing a mask at work all the time (I’m in healthcare) and when I have to go out in public. I don’t like having to take off/put on a mask, that has to be used multiple times, with makeup stains on it. I find the only makeup I can wear with masks is eye makeup, so I’ve been more adventurous with trying colors I normally wouldn’t consider to get a pop of color or contrast here and there (-: .
I have no issues with people who wear it or people who don’t. It’s a bit like botox – to each his own! My issue is more about the societal expectation of beauty and perfection, and the fact that so much make up is used to cover up “imperfections”, leading us to have a false goal of what perfection should look like.
I don’t wear much makeup because I am lazy and I’m lucky I have decent skin (but mostly because I’m lazy), though I do love a good red lipstick. I wear red when I’m ready for battle 🙂
Another lazy one like me! LoL! But I like to take care of my skin: I love moisturizing, sunscreen, cleaning, mask, scrubs and all that stuff!
ohhh yes I LOVE a good mask
Ive been wearing makeup a few days a week even in lockdown. Wearing makeup is NOT an addiction lol. And at this stage in society I dont get the “societal” aspect around makeup. The MAJORITY of the women I know DONT wear makeup on a daily basis. So I dont buy into the idea that women feel pressured to wear makeup.
If I knew how to apply it and had good quality make up, I’d probably wear it more and might even be wearing it during shut it but I don’t. I have drugstore foundation that is probably not the correct shade, I have no idea how to use concealer much less how to contour or do more with eyeshadow other than put it on my eyelid. I’m envious of women who understand and are good with make-up just like I am of women who understand and are good at fashion.
Mascara for me, always. I have blue eyes and look dead without it. But that’s about it.
I think it’s hard to just say “make up” now because that can mean so many different things. For some people, it’s a little eyeliner and a swipe of lipgloss, maybe some concealer. For other people, it’s not truly “make up” unless it’s a full face of contour and fake lashes. Either way is great! But in my experience, people that do contour have a harder time accepting how they look without makeup than people who just use a minimal amount.
I also once took an international flight, and when I woke up at landing at 6 am a woman in the aisle seat a few rows ahead of me to my right was contouring her face. On a plane. At 6 a.m. I have no issue with that and no judgment, I just can’t imagine having the focus or interest in doing that under those circumstances!
I think you hit the nail on the head.
We do not all mean the same when we say make-up. I noticed that for me contouring is make-up whereas mascara or kohl and a lip colour is just a touch up.
I cannot understand contour for the life of me: the time and the gigantic amounts of sh*t that goes into the skin gives me claustrophobic thoughts. Claustrophobia of the pores. And it makes people look like cabaret artists or drag queens (nothing against that when it’s on stage) or much older than they are.
I tie it in with the rise of social media and selfies: it’s make-up that looks amazing on photos but caked-up in IRL.
In my younger more irresponsible days, if I wanted to leave early for the day, I would go to work with no makeup on and people would say “you look awful, are you not feeling well?” and I’d say “yeah I think I should go home early” , lol. Yes, I know, that’s terrible. So I tend to favor wearing makeup. But I get what she’s saying as entertainer because for them it’s not just make up, it’s wigs, it’s lashes, it’s way more stuff than the average person wears, so I think you could forget what you look like after awhile. Or feel like it’s not really “you” without it. I think she uses the word “addiction “ to mean the way an addict needs the drugs or whatever the habit is to feel like themselves, to feel normal.
I understand what she’s saying based on what @crooksand said above.
Make-up is comparable to cosmetic surgery addiction if by Thant you mean contouring, wigs, fake lashes, nails etc. That sh*t changes a person completely and you might not feel comfortable anymore looking at yourself without it because it is so over the top.
Nowadays it’s like we’re living in the 1950s again in certain circles: a woman cannot go without fake nails, fake lashes, fake eyebrows, fake hair etc…
One thing is to give yourself a bit go colour, another one to completely change your face, hair, hands, eyes etc.
Not all of us. I have not worn makeup in 15+ years. I no longer give one hot damn what others think of me or my looks. I live my life now.
I like watching the youtube videos but it’s no way I’m going for a look that takes me 30-45 minutes to put on. Love the looks but it’s not for me. For a natural look including foundation, I can get my make up done in 15 minutes.
Never have been able to put on eyelashes. Can anyone recommend a good mascara for someone with thin lashes?
I’m a local news anchor and I work at Sephora a weekend or two per month (the discount is REAL guys). And I feel so inadequate without makeup on. To a point where it’s troubling! It’s like makeup makes me a “real person” that day and if I’m not putting makeup on, I don’t “deserve” my favorite perfume or a cute outfit. It’s tough for me to get “in the mood” without makeup on because I don’t feel attractive, but my partner couldn’t care less about whether I’m wearing makeup or not. So many of these days where I’m not on camera and I’m not leaving the house, I still put makeup on.
I knew I had this issue before coronavirus, but now it’s become evident how problematic it is. Ugh!
Savu, people look different on camera with all of that harsh lighting. I don’t think you have a problem at all. You are like Lizzo: the industry puts you under all these lights, and you will look washed out without it. We ALL do no matter how you look. Only babies can get away with it, lol!
You have a wonderful partner. My husband prefers me without makeup, but it helps that I’m not in a job that requires me to read copy on camera or be the “face” of a business.
When my daughter was small, I was working my ass off doing analysis. My older male boss came to my desk and told me that I needed to do something about my appearance because I looked tired. He did this in front of a bunch of colleagues. I said, “I work and care for a small child. Do you ask the men here about how they look? Are they required to wear makeup”. I shut his ass down. In your business, the men and the women have to apply makeup as part of your work. If you enjoy it, that’s great. If not, I feel for you.
Does Lizzo still have the make-up contract and products with Urban Decay?
Honestly, I only clicked this because I love her tree braids and I’m…I’m just looking at them longingly.
My wish is that makeup won’t be a requirement for women in their jobs. I hate wearing it (itchy eyes, uncomfortable feeling of something on my lips, etc.) and the idea that I am “unprofessional” if I don’t wear any really galls me.