life and styie

A little gloss never
killed anyone

By Sharon Yoshida

even every day, but I wear it

often. The way I see it, what I
choose to do with and to my body is
up to me and, more often than not,
wearing makeup is what I choose to
do.

Lately I’ve felt myself falling
under criticism for my Cover Girl”.
Fresh-faced eighteen-year-olds,
skin brimming with elastin, tell me
that I should be more secure with
myself; apparently they feel sorry for
me because I’m hiding behind my
translucent powder. Guys I meet at
parties pontificate over Pilsner about
how they like girls with a seemingly
“natural” look. Whatever. I don’t care
if you think I’m pretty with a naked

[= makeup; not all day, not

and moisturizers, which will keep
natural skin in good health as you
age. Cosmetics don’t have to be
expensive; as a student, I’m not flush
with cash, so I rely on drugstore
brands and sales. Most people can’t
tell the difference, and experience
can guide what types of items can be
purchased cheaply for similar quality
as the big brands.

Still, for some, Sephora is a
Mecca and that’s cool too. Before
you go judging a person for dropping
$34 on oscillating mascara, consider
if you have any hobbies or vices that
cost money. I’m talking to you- the
guy that spends a fiver a day on
frothy Starbucks lattes. As long as it’s
not hurting anyone, everyone should
be allowed to choose his or her own
passions.

The real issue here is that us kids
raised all touchy-feely in the eighties
and nineties have been brainwashed

War of Wortts: Passion,

The beauty battle; an ongoing dispute between women who re-modeling themselves to fit the idealized concept of beauty. Makeup is a
prime example of the lengths women go to in order to flatter and fix themselves; but is it really necessary?

face or not, I’ve got my own reasons
for wearing makeup that have nothing
to do with what people think.

I admit that I sometimes use
cosmetics to help myself fit in
with more traditional standards of
appearance. I conceal my zits, I fake a
blush with Benefit tints and I curl my
stick-straight Asian eyelashes so that
they’re visible. So what? Sometimes,
it’s just easier to take five minutes and
some fluffy brushes to blend in so that
I can focus on more important things.

Alternatively, makeup allows me
to manipulate my looks to suit my
mood. Even if I can’t see it, I feel
a bit different with a bright-red lip
than I do with a peach gloss. There’s
an almost visceral, sensory effect to
makeup: it feels good, smells good
and sometimes can even taste good
(hello; Lip Smackers). I don’t know
the scientific explanation, but I feel
that makeup allows me to convey
different facets of myself, and I see
power in this kind of self-expression.

Makeup can also be good for
you; many modern foundations are
formulated to contain sunscreen

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to spew this sort of rainbow-sunshine
“everyone is naturally beautiful”
crap. Why can’t we just accept
current social realities and each
other? You are not better than me
because you don’t curl your lashes,
and I am not better than you because
I have four brands of mascara in my
backpack. Besides, if we spent a
little less time judging each other’s
personal preferences, there would

be ample time to experiment with
glitter eyeliner and still do all of your
readings before class.

Makeup: Another
Social Constructed

Expectation
By Jennifer Markham

I do not wear makeup. Not on a
daily basis, or a semi-daily basis. A
few times a year if there’s a special
occasion I might throw on some
mascara, and I’ve been known to
cover up the occasional hickey.

The funny thing is most people just
assume I’m wearing it. Both genders
are shocked when I say I’m not, but

I’m no prettier than the next girl; it’s
the social expectation.

From a young age we see our
mothers, grandmothers, and aunts
putting makeup on before they leave
the house. We are raised thinking

it is socially unacceptable not to
wear makeup. Girls try to get their
hands on it as soon as they can.

Play makeup is sold at stores in
large gift sets with princess themes
for Christmas presents. One day at
the park I saw a group of 8 year-
olds wearing lipstick that then put
their purses down to play on the
playground.

Many of my friends can’t leave

the house before putting makeup
on. They feel insecure without the
interpreted “beauty’ that comes from
brushes, bottles, and compacts. In
extreme cases, the process can take
no shorter than an hour, with absolute
refusal to leave the house unless it

how to get us. They put airbrushed
pictures of our favourite celebrities
in glossy magazines, and tell us we
can get rid of those bags under our
eyes, and, who needs acne anyways?
What I want to know is’; whatever
happened to freckles? Have you
noticed no one in magazines have
them anymore? They’ re hiding, under
all that makeup! Or worse, named

an imperfection and edited out.
Students in the marketing courses
would probably call this a targeted
audience, and I have a feeling this
will only get worse as we get older.
When was the last time you turned
on your television without seeing a
commercial for anti-aging cream?
Another question we have to ask is
who we’re wearing makeup for. We
could say guys, but then most guys
admit it’s a serious turn off when a
girl is wearing too much make up. It’s
the true sweethearts that roll over and

 

or Pain-in-ine-Ass?

happens. In striking up conversation
about the topic with colleagues, I
talked to a friend of mine who said it
took her over a year before she was
comfortable not wearing makeup
around her classmates she sees
everyday.

Another friend recently confessed
she’s acquired a liking for expensive
makeup from Sephora or Mac. She
started rattling off prices for single
items of eye shadow, moisturizer,

or foundation ranging from $20 to
$40 or even $60. And while we’re
wearing a semesters
worth of books, what
are we paying for
anyways? Makeup
that’s meant to make
us look “natural”?
Simply apply a
primer, cleanser, |
concealer, foundation, |
bronzer, blush, eye
shadow, eye liner,
mascara, lip liner, lip
gloss, and lipstick for
that “just rolled out of *
bed” look.
Advertisers are sneaky
too; they know just

think and talk about it a little more.

    
   

tell us we’re beautiful in the morning
when we just wake up. Or maybe
we’re wearing it for other girls, in
which case we should all forget the
whole thing ever happened and save
each other the trouble.

But there’s one last person we put on
our faces for; ourselves. Maybe when
you look in the mirror you see a blank
canvas. Maybe all you see small are
small imperfections. Maybe you just
feel better when you’re wearing it.
Quite possibly though, we need to