Makeup: Express or Impress?

What is the reason behind why we put our faces on?

We all have had our own morning routines since time began but why? Is it to make us look more attractive? Feel confident? Or to just simply impress others? Whether its mascara, lipstick or foundation, we just can’t seem to leave the house without it. Has it always been like this though?

Are we choosing to express and enhance our present features or is it just used as a tool to impress men? Even in the 1940’s makeup was an essential part of a women’s outfit, so it seems society hasn’t changed much in 75 years. Maybe the actual physical motion of putting makeup onto ourselves hasn’t changed, but the reasons behind why we put our makeup on has. Take the 1940’s for example, then makeup was puffed and powdered onto their faces for one reason alone. Was it because women wanted to feel more glamorous? Be taken more seriously? Or to simply make themselves more attractive for men? The answer was the last one. Back then makeup wasn’t used as a tool to express and enhance the features you had already- it was used so you would appear datable; it was about appearance over personality. Primarily because women wanted to find a good husband, who had a good job so they would and could be provided for. But today society has changed. Yes we still want to find all of these traits in a man but we want our own career- something that truly represents who we are as a person.

Society was different in the 1940’s, it was a ‘Man’s World’ but as the song goes ‘it would be nothing without a woman or a girl’. Society was primarily ran by men, barely 30% of women had jobs, Makeup gave these women those opportunities, it helped them to seem datable, to be able to get married, start a family and live happily ever after. As a women’s main role in life was to look attractive and look after her husband and children. The man was seen as the ‘wage earner’ so other than getting married and having children, women didn’t have many opportunities in life.

But society isn’t like that anymore. Women have proven themselves to be just as good as men with or without a touch of concealer along the way. We are now using makeup to make ourselves bolder, stronger and more graphic. Women and men are now seen as more equal wage earners within the workplace and at home, the divide is smaller nowadays. Women in 2016 are doing the same jobs as men; they’re fighting on the frontline wearing the ‘war paint’ that got them there. We still want to be wanted and to seem enticing. But we want to express our personalities more nowadays.

Even the makeup brands we use is different now, in the 1940’s they used brand names that they trusted, which were close to their hearts such as ‘MUM’. Whereas in 2016 we would rather put our faith in ‘Max Factor the makeup of makeup artists’ as we prefer to put our trust into skilled professionals as we feel they can teach us what we need to know. ‘MUM’ is out ‘Max Factor: Makeup of makeup artists’ is in.

So what if we don’t do our makeup to simply impress anymore. This is no longer a ‘Man’s world’. We have makeup and know of techniques nowadays that women in the 1940’s couldn’t even have dreamed of. We should use makeup to express ourselves! Why spend your life doing something for someone else rather than yourself? The looks we can achieve are endless. No more purity and innocence, we can go all out with our bright lips and eyes, whilst using brushes to contour, cover and create the ‘perfect’ look. We should want to boost our own confidence and self esteem. Say goodbye to 1940’s dainty and innocent makeup of the past and hello to the 2016 bold red lips of tomorrow! We aren’t seen as weak anymore as we have wonderful tools and techniques to give us confidence 24/7. Makeup is there to produce reactions.

It is a marvellous tool that can take us from day to night. Some might say it’s ‘a girl’s best friend’. It can help us to create so many different looks; going from a grunge look one day to sophisticated and glamorous the next. Makeup offers us a world of endless opportunities. So next time you take your foundation to your face or your mascara to your eyes, make sure you create a look to express rather than to impress. Embrace the confidence makeup gives you, as a little touch of mascara can help you to do whatever you want to. So if you want that new position at work then go get it because with the confidence makeup gives you, you can. Because ‘You’re worth it’ as said by L’Oreal Paris.