Dear Men, We Didn't Ask How Much Makeup You Prefer

I am the kind of person who loves to dress up. Before leaving for any function, I make sure that I am satisfied with how I look. If necessary, I take off all the makeup I spent hours applying and redo everything all over again. At the end, I wish to feel good about myself. After all the hard work I put in, if someone criticises me for wearing 'too much makeup', I become cautious and start loathing my appearance.

A few days back, I came across a tweet that said, "boys be like I prefer less makeup ok so wear less makeup tf does that have to do with me".

I believe this was all I needed to hear. No one should ever judge us for the way we choose to look. 

boys be like “ I prefer less makeup “
ok so wear less makeup tf does that have to do with me 🙌🏻

— Shreya Mudgal (@ShreyaMudgal3) September 2, 2020

Makeup is a form of self expression

Makeup has a different meaning for everyone. Some find comfort in looking simple applying just a few basic products. Others believe in putting on heavy makeup because that helps them feel better. There are also people who wear no makeup at all and that's fine too. 

How we decide to look is something extremely personal. It's a choice we make for ourselves. We can choose to conceal our flaws using all the beauty products we have or we can leave them as they are. In my view, it is also important to accept ourselves for who we are and how we look.

Makeup can help us feel confident but ultimately, it is temporary and has to be taken off after a certain duration. When we look at our natural selves in the mirror, we should still be content and confident. 

Makeup is gender neutral

There was a time when I believed makeup was meant only for women. With the passing days, I have come to realise its gender neutrality. Anyone can choose to wear it and they don't deserve to be judged. The patriarchal society has always wanted to project women as flawed and makeup as a tool to cover those flaws. This is why men wearing makeup are called out and thought of as 'feminine'. Though not an abuse, this is how the term is used for them. 

Actor-influencer Ankush Bahuguna is a well known personality on the internet for breaking the stereotype of makeup being used only by women. He also makes it a point to ensure that there should not be any differentiation between makeup applied by men and women. In an interview with SheThePeople, he said, “Honestly, I have used make-up very often as an actor and it is very normal for me to do so.

My friends and family have normalised this and make up is not an unusual thing for me. I did not have any content to post that day and thought of uploading a normal video of me doing makeup. I had no clue that it would make such a huge impact. The response was actually quite overwhelming. ”

Should men advise women on makeup?

The society has set a beauty standard for women because of which many of them spend a lion's share of their income purchasing expensive beauty products. A Feb 2019 survey revealed that in India, 43.9% of the respondents spent approximately 700 rupees during the survey period. Similarly, according to a 2020 observation, women in the U.S., on an average spend $300,000 in their lifetime on makeup. All of this, just to live up to that 'standard'. Do men face this? No. Now my question is, why should men even have a say in the matter?

Certain makeup products also contain harmful ingredients such as talc and asbestos which can be cancerous. Women are sometimes unaware of the hazards these contents cause and continue to use the products. Some even go for cosmetic surgeries which can have harmful side effects. All of this just to look 'beautiful'- a term that should not have a fixed definition.

I highly recommend women to stop lowering their self esteem based on their external appearance. The society will  try to pull you down in all possible ways. But do not allow it to define beauty for you and don't ever compromise your health for something superficial. At the end, it's your happiness and satisfaction with yourself that matters and not what the society expects from you. 

Do you think makeup is meant only for women? Is 'less makeup' is a better option in your opinion? Should men have a say in how much makeup women choose to apply?