Monday, March 29, 2010

Can A Feminist Wear Lipstick?

On Friday night, I was, for some unexplainable reason, wide awake around midnight. My parents have decided to downgrade our cable... leaving my television options (at midnight) down to PBS and infomercials. So, of course, I settled in for a good hour watching some PBS special (btw, I am allll for public broadcasting, national public radio etc)

The evening program was all about women and dun dun dunnnnn MAKEUP! The Powder and the Glory

However... it was refocused on the incredible women who built their own powerful and influential companies targeted specifically for women:  Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein. Rather than focus on the question of changing ones appearance in order to more socially acceptable (which I do think is interesting and bears discussion) I would like to acknowledge what these women were able to accomplish in their lives.

So... now moving onto the makeup question. Can a feminist wear makeup? I personally feel it is ridiculous when women who are fighting a stereotype label a woman who chooses to wear makeup with a stereotype. As a woman, I wear makeup. I dye my hair. I use hairspray (though my environmentally conscious side cringes). Men wear cologne (may I remind you of the Axe commercials? or TAG--eww--) and face other social pressures to be masculine. (I recognize I am being vague on this point, but I don't want to spend a lot of time delving into that cesspool in this blog) I do not feel that I am any less of a feminist because I chose to put on eyeshadow in the morning or wear a thoughtfully chosen outfit. Rather, I feel like I am taking pride in my appearance and femininity. So perhaps the question is... can feminists be traditionally "feminine" in certain aspects of their lives?

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