The Politics of Makeup: Foundation

With make-up, it is often said that foundation creates ‘a flawless canvas’ for the rest of your make-up, it is viewed as the first step in a routine and essential. Having this option to boost confidence or to showcase your artistry is a good thing. However, as with many things in life, our perception of it or the actual object is problematic and worrying.

To begin with, there is the concept that if you are wearing make-up, it is necessary to wear it. This is certainly not true and is a somewhat damaging perspective. Inherently, there is the concept that the skin of the person is flawed and so should be covered up before playing with makeup. In this way, there are more unrealistic expectations for women to have flawless skin, only then are they allowed access to other areas of makeup; imperfections are not allowed. If there are ‘blemishes’ on a woman’s skin, they are expected to cover up, it is seen as more professional and attractive This is especially damaging for those with skin issues such as acne or extreme dryness as it further perpetuates the stereotype that they are not beautiful and will not be considered so until they clear up those issues. Foundation is a helpful tool and it is fun to play with it. However, to shame for women for not wearing it and putting them down for not living to airbrushed, idealised expectations is horrible. People should instead have freedom to experiment how they wish and enjoy makeup without following these rules.

In addition, shaming women for wearing foundation and saying that it is ‘false advertising’ is unbelievably rude and demeaning. Foundation is viewed as a form of deceit, especially for prospective love interests.  For many reasons, this is problematic; women are not products to be purchased, they do not have to live up to any unrealistic standards that others may put upon them.  Makeup should be enjoyed and give people confidence, fundamentally everyone should be able to use it and not worry about deceiving others. This type of mentality is problematic and pervades thoughts about women often. The concept that women exist only to please others and thus they should force themselves to bend to the wills of others is a dangerous thought process and completely erases their autonomy. Overall, people of all gender, especially women, should not be forced to acknowledge outdated, stereotypical concepts about themselves.

Lastly, an issue with foundation is the exclusion of women of colour. A typical issue is that if you are a darker skin colour, brands will not carry a suitable colour. Often, the line excludes women of ‘deeper complexions’ and excludes them from this. This is a quite common issue of women of colour, they are deemed ‘unworthy’ and denied access to such matters, in this case makeup. They are both ignored and forced to conform to western ideas. When they are excluded from an aspect of makeup which is viewed as fundamental, it implies that they are, by their nature, inferior and should be treated as such. Beauty is such a pervasive aspect of culture and the exclusion of women of colour is another by-product of the racism that fills our society. Also, this especially affects working class women of colour as the only brands that make their shades are the higher-end brands which obviously costs significantly more. Lower-end brands tend to cost £15 and under while higher end costs a much higher amount, meaning women who need foundation to look ‘professional’ would struggle greatly. The alienation of women of colour is an often ignored issue yet is one of the most prevalent.