Late-night Thoughts
I've never understood why women use make-up. My friends tell me it's because it makes them feel good about themselves but that doesn't make sense because the make-up itself doesn't have any intrinsic biological properties that can affect a person's sense of well-being. It's not chocolate. I think what they mean is that other people's reaction to their physical appearance makes them feel good about themselves. Which would make sense except that these are the same women who exert themselves endlessly to be taken seriously as intelligent people. I'm not sure how anyone can take you seriously when deep down he knows that you have willingly painted and glossed all over yourself in an effort to modify his behavior towards you. Woman don't wear make-up for themselves. They wear it for others. Men and women know that. They are complicit in this deception. And together they goad each other on to their daily disguises; masks which instead of offering protection, make a woman naked and vulnerable. It just doesn't make sense.
3 Comments:
what if a woman has a horribly disfiguring scar streaking across her face which can easily be covered up with a light application of make-up and which then would give the woman the freedom and confidence she might need and the knowledge that people could look at her, listen to her talk, pay attention to her without feeling self-concious that they were staring at her scar? and what if, instead of a scar, a woman just feels as though she has something similar on her face that needs covering or enhancing or shading to make herself feel better about herself. or. uh. i don't know. i don't wear make-up. cuts into my sleep time. zzzzz. :)
"and what if, instead of a scar, a woman just feels as though she has something similar on her face that needs covering or enhancing or shading to make herself feel better about herself."
That's my point, baji. Why should anyone's self-esteem being entangled with the way they look. A person is so much more than their physical appearance. If you are confident about yourself and who you are as a person, then you shouldn't have to present yourself as a physical object to be accepted.
Of course that also requires that other people learn to look beyond physical appearances and into the intellectual content of what's being said. And in a society, like our Pakistani one, for example, where people are so immured to their images and the way they are seen by others, this seems a distant, if not impossible, goal.
So I guess this is a just a rant on what a shallow world we live in. And were it not for rockstars like you, it would totally suck.
Very thought provoking post KK. I have often wondered at the irony of half naked women (business suits et al) demanding to be taken seriously as professional people rather than just women. Why must they reveal their feminine physical attributes to be called "professionally dressed"?
Why don't we see "male professional people" (Yeah, I enjoy the politically correct jargon) dressed in thigh high kilts and deep-neck-business jackets? What hypocricy. (This is not to imply that one would like to see that horrible sight by the way)
Why is a scarf donning, jilbab wearing girl assumed to be less than professional? Why is 'smart' another nice word reserved for more 'liberally' dressed ladies?
Got nothing to do with wearing of make-up, but to my twisted mind it all seems related.
Post a Comment
<< Home