Are women more attractive without makeup on?

No

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by Marie Gerber

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Whether a fresh-faced woman or one enhanced with cosmetics is more attractive is a very difficult debate and I must say it took some pondering before I finally decided to go with the "no" side. I realize I probably just infuriated many of the women reading this, so let me explain myself.

Let me began by saying that beauty is most definitely indefinable and unique to the eye of the beholder. I believe that all women are beautiful, regardless of what they have on their face. In a perfect world, every living creature would be considered beautiful just as they are. However, it is true that every society and culture has certain standards of beauty. In some cultures, even men are expected to wear makeup. This is also true of many male actors and musicians.

It is because of this that I tentatively choose to state that most women are more attractive with makeup on. This of course is according to the standards set forth by the media and the money-hungry fashion and beauty industries that wouldn't survive if women felt beautiful in sweats and no makeup.

It's interesting that it is much more common for men to say that women look better without makeup than it is for a woman to say this herself. If a woman doesn't wear makeup she is more likely to say it is because she doesn't have the time or money to waste or that she doesn't have the skill and knowledge to properly apply it.

This reminds me of a friend of mine whose older brother is constantly telling her that she doesn't need to wear makeup and that women are so much more beautiful without it. This is, of course, when he sees her complete with cover-up, bronzer and full eye makeup. However, recently, he saw her at breakfast before she had applied any cosmetics and he told he she looked awful and asked her if she was feeling all right. Apparently, without her makeup on she appears to look sick. So much for the natural beauty argument!

I think that when most men say that they prefer women without makeup they either (A) are lying in order to make you feel better and appear not to be superficial asses, or (B) don't have any clue how to tell when a woman is wearing makeup. I think the majority of men who say this really mean to say that they don't like it when a woman wears TOO MUCH makeup. After all, the entire point of wearing makeup is to not look like you're wearing it at all. If a woman is truly gifted at applying cosmetics, a man may not realize she wears much makeup at all until (surprise!) the first time she stays overnight and he sees her au natural.

They are more likely talking about the many women who view makeup more as an accessory than a way to enhance their own natural beauty. Don't get me wrong; I'm not condemning this. To each their own and there is a time and place for everything. As I said before, true beauty is indefinable. Then, there is the large population of women who simply have no idea how to apply their makeup or are stuck in a time warp and still think that blue eye shadow and frosted pink lipstick is trendy. For these women it probably is true that they actually do look better without makeup and are doing themselves a disservice.

I can honestly say as a woman there are times when I'm running late in the morning and am truly frustrated that I feel the need to take the time to apply at least a tiny bit of makeup in order to face the world with confidence. I sometimes envy the fact that my boyfriend can be ready to go in the time that it takes me to apply my mascara. However, there are other times when I feel so blessed that I am a female and it socially acceptable, even expected, that I take the time to cover up my "flaws". For instance, when I have massive dark circles under my eyes from a late night out or when I wake up with a red and unsightly blemish. There are certain natural things such as these that society has deemed unattractive. Thus, we have been socialized to find them unattractive. So it only makes sense that I would feel more confident if I am able to camouflage what everyone else considers to be flaws.

All that said I have the utmost respect for and (sigh) yes, also sometimes envy of the women who feel comfortable and confident going out into the world with a makeup-free face. And whether I believe him or not I am also flattered when my boyfriend tells me I look pretty without my makeup.

As you can see, this is a complicated argument and really depends upon a lot of factors, such as how much makeup a woman wears, how well she applies it and how a given individual defines beauty. And lets face it, it really depends what a woman looks like. Because we're not talking about inner beauty here, we're talking about what's on the surface. No matter how kind, funny or giving a woman is, if she has a skin condition or bad acne, I think most people would be lying if they said she looked more attractive without her makeup. So, in the end, until society is ready to look beyond the exterior, makeup can be a life-saver and a confidence-booster for many women.

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