Makeup and the Mind
By Mary Claire Schibelka, LPC
Womxn and makeup have a complicated relationship. For some, it is an art. A luxury that one treats herself to. Even an indulgence. For others, a necessary evil. Something imposed upon them by society. Some reject it altogether, and others could take it or leave it.
From all directions, womxn receive messages both urging and forbidding them to buy and wear makeup. Contradicting demands like, “Try harder,” and “Don’t try too hard” are everywhere- some implicit, some unignorable. Girls. Girls. Girls. Magazine’s viral video, “Be a Lady They Said”, stars Cynthia Nixon narrating this reality of what it means to be a woman in 2020.
As an individual, I enjoy makeup. As a professional, I’m curious about it. More specifically, I’m curious about not only the reasons why one chooses to wear it, but also the implications of their decision.
In a recent quest to learn more about the psychology of makeup, I uncovered some intriguing information. First, I discovered that the use of makeup dates back to the earliest-known human societies. Body art, in some form, has culturally been part of almost every civilization on earth.
Makeup has also been linked to desirable mental health outcomes. In a 2017 Harvard University study, undergraduate women who wore makeup demonstrated higher test scores than those who did not. Some women who wear makeup while working from home during quarantine report feeling more focused and productive than they do without it. In Refinery29 article, “The Psychology Of Wearing Makeup When No One Can See You”, Tara Well, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Barnard College, describes makeup application’s ability to help us spend time with ourselves, thus creating feelings of peace and safety.
Somewhere down the rabbit hole, I stumbled upon a 2012 study in which the wearing of a lab coat is associated with higher performance on attention-related tasks. This is attributed to not only the physical experience of wearing the coat, but also the perceived symbolic meaning of the coat by its wearer.
Like lab coats, makeup must be put on and impacts perceptions of its wearer by others and by wearer. The experience of applying makeup can be gratifying, promoting self-awareness, routine, and the enjoyment of pleasurable textures, such as soft brushes. The symbolic elements of makeup include one’s recognition of their own inherent beauty, self-expression, and creativity.
Imagine being prepared for a surgery, and your doctor walks in wearing jeans and a polo shirt. How would you feel if the doctor was wearing a lab coat? Now, imagine you’re the doctor, and you’re wearing either jeans and a polo shirt or a lab coat. What’s the difference? What do you feel in your gut, shoulders, and chest as you picture these scenarios? Would your feelings change if the doctor in the polo shirt had a great bedside manner and knew what he was talking about? What if your doctor was a womxn and was wearing makeup? What if she/they wasn’t?
The answers to these questions reveal a lot about your perceptions of outward appearance and what lies beneath it. Do your perceptions align with your values? How do they impact your decisions about how you present yourself?
Each person’s answers to these questions is different, which is why everyone in the world presents himself/herself/themselves differently. Our experiences and our energy levels are only two of the many factors that influence the daily decisions we make about how we go forth into the world. The decision of whether or not to wear makeup is just another one of those choices.
When we are in tune with our values and deepest desires, we are able to make decisions, no matter how seemingly small, from a place of confidence. If you’ve experimented with makeup and you’ve found that it invokes a sense of dread, by all means, stay away from it. You can live a long and happy life without ever using a drop of it. Many womxn do.
The key is authenticity, even in the face of pressure from all sides. When someone shows up as themselves, people notice. Confidence speaks louder than cosmetics.