The Face Behind The Contour

makeupandbeauty.com

The Roman philosopher Plautus once said “a woman without paint is like food without salt” (“A History of Cosmetics”). This seems like a rather modern take on how society typically sees women who choose to go sans makeup--and Plautus was born in 255 BC, which only proves to illustrate that the discussion involving makeup and women has not really changed that much in the span of hundreds of thousands of years. In her piece “Foucault, Femininity, and the Modernization of Patriarchal Power,” author Sandra Lee Bartky discusses, among other things, makeup and the effect it has on women and society as a whole. She writes, “In reality, while cosmetic styles change every decade or so, and while some variation of makeup is permitted depending on the occasion, making-up the face is, in fact, a highly stylized activity that gives little rein to self-expression” (85). While the trend has shifted since Plautus asserted women are generally bland without “paint,” Bartky points to the generalization that applying makeup remains popular and is, arguably, in place to fulfill patriarchal desires.

            I question whether or not women can wear makeup because they truly enjoy it, or if there are underlying themes of feeling inadequate without it. Bartky further explores this idea of makeup and goes so far as to say that “the ‘art’ of makeup is the art of disguise, [which] [presupposes] that a woman’s face, unpainted, is defective” (85). I wanted to connect this to the new contouring trend, where women, with the power of makeup, change the shape of their jawlines, noses, chins, etc., in order to appear more “chiseled” and “smooth.” While some women may argue that they do this for sheer pleasure, or, perhaps, for money (as YouTube beauty bloggers get compensation for promoting products), I feel as though there is a deep-rooted fear of the expectations society places on women, thus intrinsically forcing them to be “beautiful” by way of makeup. This fear is so adamant among women, whether or not it’s recognized, that there are tips for how to look “natural” (i.e., look like you’re not wearing makeup) by actually wearing certain makeup—foundation, light blush, etc. I googled “natural look” and the top results were all suggestions on which products to buy, but had nothing to do with a makeup-free face. I also noticed that the images that surfaced were all of white women, and I recognize that this is very problematic, but for the purpose of this blog I’m going to stick with discussing makeup trends in a more generalized sense.

credit/original video

            Returning to the idea of makeup—this is where I become truly confused about whether a woman can wear it for her pleasure, or if it’s always for some “higher power” that she is unknowingly trying to impress. While it seems as though I’m categorizing women as being below this “higher power,” which isn’t necessarily patriarchy, but is simply an umbrella term for societal expectations and the implications that go along with this, I am in no way suggesting that women cannot be powerful. Instead, I am just questioning how much influence these societal regulations can have on women. Referring back to the idea of “contour,” Bartky writes, “the face of the ideally feminine woman must never display the marks of character, wisdom, and experience that we so admire in men” (87). Contouring enables a woman to look completely blemish-free, smooth, and evenly toned, all while, arguably, changing their very identity. While some women have been criticized as wearing “clown makeup,” this has sparked a movement in itself where various women draw on themselves with makeup that looks like a clown’s face, and then blend it to look nicely contoured. This is the idea of societal regulations at work—by contouring, you look like a clown, so you claim this title and contour yourself from clown makeup, thus still keeping the practice of contouring in place. Why not reject contouring all together and go makeup-free?

            This comes back to my question of whether or not women can enjoy makeup for the sole purpose of putting it on, or if there really is an underlying societal influence subtly convincing women they need makeup to look pretty. Even if a woman does enjoy applying various eyeshadows and lip stains, is she doing this because the practice of makeup has been so deeply engrained in our society that we cannot escape it?

 Personally, if I reject makeup, I’m doing so because I want to feel confident without it, but in doing this I am actively thinking about not conforming to society’s “norms” and expectations. If I wear makeup it’s usually because I feel somewhat ugly upon waking up, which is ridiculous in itself but illustrates the sort of power the symbol of makeup holds. I agree with Bartky when she says, “to succeed in the provision of a beautiful or sexy body gains a woman attention and some admiration but little real respect and rarely any social power” (87). Even though women may try to claim power through institutions such as makeup, ultimately they have no power because they are trapping themselves in the very institutions that threaten to displace them. While women have tried to wear makeup to feel empowered, and even contoured their face for the sheer pleasure of the artistic creativity, overall I do not think there is way to wear makeup solely for the self. Because these beauty regimes are so engrained in our society, I think they will stay just like that—engrained—and continue to serve as influential regimes of truth no matter what the purpose of application.

Sources: 

               Bartky, Sandra Lee. "Foucault, Femininity, and the Modernization of Patriarchal Power." The Politics of Women's Bodies: Sexuality, Appearance & Behavior. By Rose Weitz. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. 77-97. Print.

"A History of Cosmetics from Ancient Times." Cosmetics Info. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.