WEEKLY COLUMN: WE NEED TO TALK

Is wearing makeup a turn on or turn off?

By: Christian Losciale and Jenn Proffitt

Posted: 3/19/09

By Christian Losciale
News Editor
Ladies, you are beautiful.
You don't need makeup to look good. I understand, it boosts your confidence, but you should be proud to be yourself.
All women are gorgeous without makeup, I promise. Any guy or advertisement that tells you otherwise can go to hell.
Natural beauty is more attractive than clown colors smeared all over your face. Really, don't bother "putting on your face." It's not a flattering expression. Putting all that carcinogenic junk on your face can result in some unattractive features, too. There's some natural make up, I know, but it's not as widely distributed.
Sometimes, you'll get that line separating real skin from where you drew your face on. Not cool. Or other times, women cake on the makeup. It looks like there are layers to the makeup, and I've been tempted to ask if the makeup kit came with icing and a fork, so I could dig in.
Much to my dismay, these attractive women were hiding their real faces, thus the genuine beauty. If I had seen the real product - instead of the fake stuff - I would not have joked about the abundance of makeup. Rather, I might have been inclined to talk or flirt with her had her makeup not disgusted me. What irony: their attempt to be attractive turned me off.
So come on women, put down the little mirrors and brushes. Let us appreciate your true self.

By jenn proffitt
Copy Editor
Women live in a world where cosmetics are freely advertised, makeup is a necessity for a healthy self-esteem and, Lord help those who don't wear the right eye shadow that matches those purple shoes.
That last might be a little over the top, but still, women live in a world where perfection is constantly sought after and rarely achieved to anyone's satisfaction. Society has dictated that I must wear makeup to feel good, pretty or simply to feel validated. Enter the world of makeup.
Knowing this, I have to say I'm guilty of wearing makeup even though there are many patriarchal dictates about what makes a woman beautiful. I wear makeup as little as possible but I still have acne, circles under my eyes and an uneven skin tone - sexy, I know. So when I want to make an impression, I'll put on foundation, pump up my eyelashes and smear on the eye shadow. This habit is even more apparent when I'm nervous about that first impression and I end up looking like a clown-catering hooker.
If you have green eyes and want to make them pop, feel free to purple eye shadow it up. If you don't feel that you need to wear makeup or don't want to, more power to you because you have flouted society's idea of beauty.
No, I don't like to wear makeup all the time but yes, when I do I feel pretty, even borderline beautiful - is that so bad?