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Ok hear me out but to me make-up has always seemed kind of like religion:
Makeup just wasn't really a thing in my household growing up. My mother wore make-up so rarely that I can remember the handful of times she put on mascara or a bit of blush because of how odd it seemed to me.
When people comment on the fact that I've never worn makeup I honestly don't quite know what to say, because to me that's the default. It feels very much like how I used to feel when people would ask me why I'm an atheist...I don't know how to answer, because to me atheism is the default and religion is the niche interest.
Asking me why I don't wear makeup or why I don't go to church is like asking me why I don't play snooker or something; there are lots of hobbies other people enjoy that I do not, and it's not necessarily that I hate the activity itself, it's just because nothing about it particularly interests me or fits with my life.
Same. My mother wore lipstick when we went to church but she didn't like how makeup felt on her face otherwise, and didn't wear it. I imagine she thought eye makeup looked clownish and that it was too much trouble, especially when you consider that you have to use solvents to remove it. She wasn't trying to raise a little feminist, but she did. As for the atheism, at 12 I simply started staying home when my family when to church. When people at the time asked why I quit going, I said "It's boring" and they always laughed because they couldn't argue with that.
The better question would be "Why are you wearing makeup?" There's no reason besides "This is what is expected of me in this part of the world in the 20th century and early part of the 21st century" or "I want to blend in with the other girls/women by looking like them." It's reasonable to ask why we do things that take time and effort, cost money, and are unnecessary, but it doesn't make sense to ask why someone doesn't do those things. I think most of us would be rendered speechless by this type of questioning. I can give lots of reasons that I don't want to do it, but the question itself is absurd.
Now that I think about it, the Chinese women I've met don't actually wear makeup. I don't know how prevalent makeup even is in China but good for those women rejecting it
considering the majority of the country, well the people are very poor I doubt its many just the nouveau riche in the big cities.
The Chinese women I've met are definitely not super poor as they all lived abroad. I just haven't noticed them wear makeup while other Asian women do
most of the population are in rural areas and they travel to find work in the cities and large factories where they live in dorms paid out of their salary they get treated as second class citizens and have very little rights and not much money, I doubt they would be buying much make-up
This is a big thing and good for them, but I can't help but notice these are all rather attractive young girls with great skin.
Yeah, I thought the same. They still look conventionally gorgeous without make-up and I can't help the cynical thought that it's just a new way to create ripples and stand out on social media. Social media is a sucker for any kind of "before and after" visual story.
Go, young Chinese women! Makeup is a burden. It's expensive and time consuming and you constantly have to worry about whether or not it's staying on, how different light might make it look weird (especially problematic for fair-haired women). I haven't bought or worn makeup in years. Every once in a while when I want to look fancy, I'll put on some lipstick I'm pretty sure I bought 30 years ago.
I've done support work for STEM companies most of my life and one of the wonderful things I've witnessed in that time is the disappearance of makeup. It's very rare now I see a young woman on the job who has painted at all or done much of anything with her hair aside from get a good cut.
Great. If someone likes makeup, then they can have a go at it. But to me, it's painful, time wasting and makes me break out. The one time I got professional make up for a wedding, it didn't look like me. At least the dramatic drag queen looks are on the way out.
China and Korea seem to be going through a high time of Fed-Up! I don't even think it's because of Western Influence. I think it is naturally the next step once you've exhausted women so much.
I mean no offense, but in my experience Asian cultures can be especially harsh towards appearances. They don't tend to hold back on criticism, and I imagine that could really effect the women in those countries enough to get to this point.
From my own experience, the harshness comes from other women, especially Asian mothers. I've never had men say anything close to the crap my mother has said to me. And completely outlandish things too, like being fat at 120 lbs. These women might reject the male gaze, but guaranteed they are still hearing sh!t from their moms.
Hopefully they tune out that toxicity the same way they tune out what scrotes have to say.
I'm sorry you experienced that from your mother. That's the sort of thing I had in mind when I made my comment. Criticism like that doesn't just go away, it really effects someone's self-esteem. The fact these ladies are rejecting beauty standards is a good sign, though.
Thanks, I knew people here would understand :) I'm mixed so I get both barrels of criticism depending on who is talking haha. I'm glad other young women are waking up instead of just inflicting it on the next generation of daughters because "tradition."
The Standards most asian societies have set are indeed harsh, I would say the most extreme is definitely Korea while China does the "whatever the communist government sets into place is what happens". But still, just like in the states where Men are becoming lazy while expecting to maintain their authority, I've read stories about how INCREDIBLY abusive men over in Asian can be and there is no authority to report to, even if our system is flawed in America, over in some of those countries...FOR-GET-IT and it's because of law struction and public shaming.
Korean Beauty Standards especially that of plastic surgery comes from some American dude creating double lid surgery for a reason I'd file under eugenics. Also #MeToo did reach Korea but from my tinkering about I felt like I was hearing about women being fed up even before the hashtag started.
I just don't want to give the West too much credit. I loooooovvvve Japanese message boards where women hang out. Besides being harsh you can see some of the gender critical thinkers. Unfortunately the only one I know of lately is GirlsChannel, when I stopped studying I lost track of places.
This is an oversimplification and not really true. They have had the same beauty standards before that and the beauty standards are way more than preferring double lids. Korea has a lot of native misogyny, most of it is native actually
Double Eyelid Surgery because especially popular after Dr. D. Ralph Millard introduced it. (Is that better...sheesh)
The surgery became popular then but the beauty standard existed way before. And if it wasn't for that doctor, another doctor would have come up with it
Pre-1950s?
Speaking just to the Chinese culture, yes people are harsh when speaking about appearance. BUT, people also don't take criticisms of appearances nearly as seriously as Americans do. Their values are not rooted in looks, and generally speaking their self-esteem doesn't evaporate and they don't go into depression over what other people say about their appearances. They do recognize harsh statements about an individual's looks have a negative connotation, but they don't take it as an insult or a criticism about their person or their value as a person, just something obvious to the eye. And people don't treat fat or ugly or short people as "lesser". Personally I think it's a very healthy societal attitude.
There are vast differences between Asian cultures. Take even Korea and China. Korean women are constantly being told to be beautiful, to have plastic surgery, etc. Chinese women often don't even shave their armpits
I remember when the 16-step Korean beauty regime was a big thing on social media. The thought alone exhausted me.
I never actually thought people did those things and it was just for social media clout.