No One Notices When Women Don’t Wear Makeup
Why are people so quick to make this absurd argument when it’s so clearly not true?
“You’re being melodramatic. No one cares if women wear makeup or not, and no one would ever say anything about it in the workplace.”
Years ago, I wrote about an experience in which I was experiencing such horrible allergies that I couldn’t wear eyeliner or eye shadow for over a week. I shared how nervous I had been during that time, convinced that one of my supervisors, or perhaps even a colleague, might call me out for coming to work with such an unprofessional, unpolished appearance.
I was surprised by the feedback I received. Many challenged me with comments like the one above, claiming I was being melodramatic, anxious over nothing. Men told me what they always tell me: that none of them actually want women to wear makeup and as such, none of them would ever criticize a woman for going barefaced. And even women claimed I had taken things too far, insisting that no one would ever notice whether or not a woman was wearing makeup.
I found all these comments to be not only disingenuous but downright shocking. Since when did no one take notice of whether or not a woman was wearing makeup? Since when wasn’t it socially acceptable and quite common for someone…
