Makeup Free but Not Anti-Makeup
Why is it so TMZ worthy when a celebrity walks out of the house without a full face of makeup?
As strange as it may seem, some women enjoy a break from a face full of makeup from time to time. A woman rocking a messy bun and bare face does not sound so exciting, yet articles exclaiming the madness of a makeup-less celebrity seem to bombard the internet constantly as if no makeup is something so out of this world. It is interesting to note the power of a bare face as opposed to that of a heavy made up look. The natural look seems to gain attention as being bold, brave or a mess, while a full beat face can be deemed too much, fake or stunning. So where exactly is the line drawn between too much makeup or not enough? And why is it even an issue as to how much product someone decides to wear?
Women are often forced into gendered sanctions that confine them to specific standards of beauty, responsibility and personality. Foucault argues that the body is docile (135), or submissive and socialized to fit the norms of what a society deems to be correct. One of his main arguments regarding the docile body is the need for confinement, specifically that “Discipline sometimes requires enclosure” (141). Basically, people are born as individuals with free will, but are shaped to fit the mold of society which then leaves less room for individual freedom. Also, this refers to the gendered sanctions within society, which dictate what a man and woman should do depending solely on their gender. The enclosure of the docile body limits potential and free thought in order to maintain an orderly society, which ultimately hurts those within it.
Makeup is a tool used to enclose women within their sanctioned standards of femininity. It has become so normalized to wear a full face of makeup that it now appears abnormal when one refrains from wearing any. Alicia Keys recently announced her decision to go makeup free. She actually showed up to the 2016 VMAs without makeup, which of course caused a major uproar on the internet. Some admired her for embracing her own skin, while others deemed her as messy or in need of “some concealer.” Overall, her bold display of an all natural look sparked conversation around the ideal beauty standard for women and the gendered norms within society.
The E article regarding Alicia Keys’ stance on makeup explained that as a society, people are so comfortable in routine and patterns that anything moving in the opposite direction will create controversy. Which is similar to the arguments of Foucault, who argued that the docile body is trained to perform specific duties and adhere to standards. When such standards are rejected the cycle is now disrupted for everyone, causing backlash like those going against Alicia Keys. It is also important to note that many of the negative comments being pushed toward Keys were coming from other women. This may be due to the impact of socialization on the docile body, or more specifically women. Through socialization, not only are men trained to view women in terms of gendered sanctions and standards of beauty, but so are women. Which is why a woman choosing not to wear makeup becomes an issue for another who may choose to wear it herself. Here, it becomes more of a battle between makeup or no makeup, or between a so called representation of real or artificial beauty.
Full beat or no beat becomes a struggle for women regarding the way in which they are perceived. On one hand, a woman who lacks makeup can be strong, independent and insightful. But then again, she can also be considered lazy, careless and sloppy. Same goes for the full beat which can be beautiful or borderline fake. The issue is not really about the actual makeup on the face or the lack of it. But it is about the standards of beauty for women and how unrealistic they can truly be. How is a woman able to portray herself as beautiful when her makeup is criticized as fake or too much. How can she be beautiful if her bare face is not enough? The point is that there truly is no set form of perfection. No matter how socialized a docile body is trained to be, he or she may still be able to use the last bit of freedom within itself to reject the norms. If women continue to push the boundaries of feminine norms by refraining from makeup or even wearing more makeup the docile body will become less submissive and more in control of the future of society.
