Two things can be true. Makeup can be a healthy form of self-expression for people who use it AND a brick in the overall wall that is gendered oppression.
I wish we could just make makeup illegal. It’s bad for humans, it’s bad for the animals we test it on, it’s probably bad for the environment, it’s expensive, and takes a lot of time every day to apply. And as far I’m concerned it doesn’t even obtain the ostensible goal of making people more attractive. It fills no function other than to feed insecurity and fill the pockets of shareholders.
Even some men wear makeup. Every actor wears makeup. It’s been a part of human art for millenia, and only recently has developed into daily sexist expectations.
I’d be very careful about banning anything that lets people express themselves, even if most people are doing it in a way I don’t like. The external costs (pollution, animals) can be addressed with pigouvian taxes not specific to these products.
Sure, I realize it’s not realistic. Maybe we could at least change the attitude people have towards it, from “you need it to be accepted as a human being” to “it’s weird, but if you think it’s fun go for it”.
Two things can be true. Makeup can be a healthy form of self-expression for people who use it AND a brick in the overall wall that is gendered oppression.
I wish we could just make makeup illegal. It’s bad for humans, it’s bad for the animals we test it on, it’s probably bad for the environment, it’s expensive, and takes a lot of time every day to apply. And as far I’m concerned it doesn’t even obtain the ostensible goal of making people more attractive. It fills no function other than to feed insecurity and fill the pockets of shareholders.
Even some men wear makeup. Every actor wears makeup. It’s been a part of human art for millenia, and only recently has developed into daily sexist expectations.
I’d be very careful about banning anything that lets people express themselves, even if most people are doing it in a way I don’t like. The external costs (pollution, animals) can be addressed with pigouvian taxes not specific to these products.
Sure, I realize it’s not realistic. Maybe we could at least change the attitude people have towards it, from “you need it to be accepted as a human being” to “it’s weird, but if you think it’s fun go for it”.