The Shallow end of the Lipstick*

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I was reading this post (do read it, it's very good) the other day and while I know better, I still scrolled down and read the comments.  Some were actually quite nice, others reminded me of something that seems to keep popping up in my life lately: negative attitudes about women who wear makeup.

First, a confession:

In my younger days I did have a negative view of makeup.  No doubt part of it was because I didn't want to be thought of as "vain" or "shallow" - two of the most common words used to describe women who wear makeup.

I’m sure my thoughts were media influenced.  How often do we hear that truly beautiful people don’t care about looks?   How many times have we seen the deep, smart girl who doesn’t wear makeup pitted against the shallow, vapid girl who wears too much.  (Of course in the entertainment industry even “natural” beauties have to wear makeup.)  Then there’s the old classic of the insecure girl who wears “too much makeup” becoming prettier by taking it off - usually at the behest of her beloved who likes her better without. I know it's usually presented as a "He loves me just as I am" but if he truly loved you just as you are he wouldn't be telling you to change.* 

All this got into my head.  I had no desire to flaunt my insecurities or give people the impression that I was shallow enough as to care about my looks.  I’m not going to lie, I do I want to be pretty - but intelligent and talented has always out ranked that. And, of course, this was at a time when I still cared about how other people saw me. 

Now I wear makeup all the time.  Nearly every day.  I think the shift began when I started hunting for the perfect vintage red lipstick.  As part of my hunt I did a lot of research on both historical and modern makeup.  I also started trying different brands and got more savvy at application.  I found I enjoyed the creative aspect. As it became more a part of my everyday life I began to reevaluate my views on makeup.  I realized that wearing makeup cannot make a person "vain" or "shallow" anymore than not wearing makeup can make them deep. 

Back to the article:

When I read about women who went through years of deprivation, worked hard (and sometimes dangerous) manual labor, were bombed out of their homes, volunteered for the war effort, kept families fed, clothed, and alive as best they could while missing family that was either dead or far off and in serious danger the last word I think of is “shallow.”  These women gave up so much that it probably was a relief to know that their country wasn’t going to judge them if they still cared about their looks.  In fact, their country wanted them to go on as they always had and to maintain as much normalcy as possible.

Anyone who considers a woman shallow for putting on lipstick during wartime is probably either an idiot or has absolutely no concept of what World War II was like. I’m not saying I truly do know, nor that I would have been capable of half the amazing things these women did.   What I do know is that the war went on for years.  Despite missing family members and bombings and shortages - people still had to live their lives.  Do the people who consider the women of World War II shallow think that every single person gave up all joy and creature comforts for the duration?  People still made art, sang, danced, fell in love, dressed up to go out, and laughed.  Everyone does all these things in wartime - they have to do them to remind themselves why they are fighting and sacrificing. 

You might as well say the men of World War II were shallow and vain for still shaving.

We all have our morale boosters.  The little things that make us feel better when we are down.  The things that help us maintain our dignity when someone else is trying to chip away at it.  For some of us it may be music or poetry.  For others it just might happen to be putting on makeup. 

And if a little lipstick and rouge is all it took to keep the women of WWII going, I kind of think that makes them superheroes. 

*Yeah the title doesn't really make sense but I thought it sounded cool.
* Using heteronormative language here as I haven't seen such things portrayed about same sex couples.

Can Vintage fashion improve your body image?

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I found this article via Trashy Diva and while it's mostly stuff I already know, it got me thinking.

I may have mentioned that before I started dressing "vintage style" I was having some body issues.  Nothing too bad.  I mean, we're not talking needing therapy, but I was really feeling bad about my body.  The main problem was clothing.  Not much fit and what fit didn't fit right.  It made my body look worse than it actually was.  High waisted pants were a revelation to me.  I no longer had to yank my pants up every two steps or wear a belt that cut off circulation.  I found clothing that actually was physically comfortable to wear and bonus - looked better than modern stuff I'd been trying to pull off for years.  A failure which I once blamed on my body.

But that's just basic stuff, right?  Dress to suit your figure.  What this article got me thinking about was that maybe all the time I spend looking at old media helped too.  Yes, I'm looking for fashion inspiration but am I not also reminding myself that the fashionable body has changed and will change again?  That whatever body type is "in" will always only be a reflection of a small portion of the female population? 

And it makes sense, doesn't it?  All we hear about is how our media consumption can have a impact on how we view ourselves and the world.  That's why there is a campaign for real beauty, right?  Sure I am exposed to plenty of modern media but I would say a good portion of what I consume is historical in nature.  Now I am not saying historical media was more inclusive or body positive because it wasn't.  But when you have a general idea of how body shapes fall in and out of fashion it's easier to reject the current ideal.  Bodies go in and out of style just like clothes.  Better to focus on what lasts, right?

Is it possible that seeing all kinds of body types, even idealized versions, may have helped me feel more comfortable about my body?  I will never have the "ideal body" of 2015 (or 1915 for that matter) and I know that.  Funny thing is, it doesn't really bother me anymore.

I just don't want to end up on Hoarders

Some of my spring/summer sweaters

I have this desire to somehow reduce my wardrobe to the bare minimum.  Just a few pieces that encompass my style and all co-ordinate with one another.  Except that is never realistically going to happen.

Most of the time my style oscillates between the late '30s and '40s (wide legged trousers, simple cotton and rayon dresses, cardigans/sweaters, stockings) and a sort of beatnik/bohemian look (capris, peasant blouses, brightly colored skirts, lots of black, sweaters, and huge jewelry) and maybe if that's where my style always lived I could manage such a thing.  Except some days I feel like a flapper or a sixties minidress, or rockabilly, or maybe a little cabaret.  And that doesn't even cover cosplays.  I'm never going to build some ideal minimalist wardrobe.  Or if I do it's going to be buried among beaded skirts, feather boas, and Han Solo's vest.

Some of my earrings

Of course the irony here is most women from the eras I favor probably didn't have anywhere near half the clothes I own.  I try to think about that every time I have the urge to buy something new.  I also try to mend things before I go tossing them and unravel sweaters I don't wear anymore and knit new ones that I will wear.  But that doesn't always feel like enough.

More Jewelry, this is JUST necklaces and rings

I don't want to be swallowed whole by my wardrobe and accessories but I also don't want to wake up and be without the pieces I need to dress the way I feel on any particular day. 

I'm not whining here, just thinking out loud. I am also not completely well yet so I blame all grammatical errors and fuzzy logic on that.