Thoughts on Makeup

I've always preferred women who wear little or no makeup. Heavily made up women seem as if they're trying too hard. There's nothing sexier to me than a woman with a clean, just-out-of-the-shower face, wearing no cosmetics beyond a light scent of perfume or cologne.

This doesn't mean I won't see a woman who wears makeup, as few women have the courage to buck the societal expectation that women should always wear makeup when out in public. But anything beyond a moderate amount is not appealing to me as I find the Tammy Faye Bakker and Mimi from the Drew Carey Show types to be a big turnoff.

I've never quite understood why black gunk outlining the eyes and coating the lashes is supposed to look so good, as I can't help but think of raccoons every time I see a heavy handed application of this kind of cosmetic.

Similarly, I've never gotten why painting the eyelids, sometimes all the way up to the brows, purple, blue, green, etc is more attractive that one's own normal skin color.

When I lived in Dallas in the 1980s, some women applied blush to their cheeks so severely that it looked as if someone had punched them hard on both sides of their faces. Nope, the battered woman look doesn't do it for me, either.

On the other side of the spectrum, I've heard of makeup companies promoting the "Natural Look"; in other words, making it look as if one is not wearing any makeup at all. I can do them one better than that -- to acheive a natural look, try not wearing any makeup at all! That's about as natural as you can get and it will save a woman a ton in money not having to buy all that makeup.

Wearing makeup to make it look as if one is not wearing any makeup at all makes about as much sense as washing your dishes before putting them into the dishwasher!

I've noticed that women who regularly wear makeup come in three rough categories.

There are those who wear it because they truly enjoy it and find it to be a creative and artistic endeavor. This type I have little problem with, as such women generally know that a little goes a long way and they use it tastefully. Such women also do not wear it compulsively and are just at home with themselves when engaging in activities without makeup.

Then there are women who wear it simply to conform and to go along with society's expectations for women. The choice whether or not to wear makeup is not one they've consciously considered; to them, they wear makeup because they think it's part of being a woman. Such women typically run the gamut as to how much they wear, from just a little lipstick to Tammy Faye Bakker garish, many times depending on their social group. I would imagine that the majority of makeup wearing women fall into this category.

And, then there's the last group, women with self esteem problems. Women in this group are almost always heavily made up when out in public. Such women speak of "putting their face on", as if their natural un-madeup faces take away their identities and make them anonymous. It also presumes a belief that women are naturally ugly and are not good enough just as they were made; that they are always in need of "enhancement".

I've even known women who will not go out to the mailbox, unless they are completely made up. In an extreme instance, I read that Tammy Faye Bakker even went to bed with all that crap over her face, as she was afraid of Jim seeing how she looked naturally. To me, that's sad and pathetic.

I've noticed that the heavier makeup a woman wears, the more likely that she'll be high maintenance -- and high maintenance is a deal breaker for me. I want a woman I can grab and kiss, not one who is worried about me smearing her makeup and mussing her hair. I don't see how some women can go around all the time not being able to rub their eyes when they're tired, scratch their face if it itches, for fear of messing the makeup -- it has to be a straightjacket of sorts.

And let me tell you, that kissing a woman with a lot of makeup on is not a pleasant experience, as I'm not partial to getting a mouthful of perfumed sand or grease. Blech.

To sum it up, I hate makeup because it's greasy, it's gritty, it's gaudy, and it stinks!