I want to be clear about something: I have never been embarrassed that I was born a woman (well, barring a few months in preschool education where I fully resented floral dresses and large bows). Though as young girls we are continuously told that being a daughter living in a world dominated by sons will present its fair share of hardships, it wasn’t until I got out of school and started working that I began to understand that my gender could put me at a disadvantage. Working in fashion and beauty has undoubtedly cushioned and largely stifled this absurdly archaic mindset; but even in this field that largely celebrates our most stereotypically girlish indulgences, a hierarchy of acceptable female-centric tendencies and interests exist. Where androgynous and edgy ensembles and a laissez faire attitude reign supreme, infatuation with beauty and make-up can oft feel overly materialistic, vacuous, and ultimately too girly. Somehow beauty has adopted this ugly-stepsister persona so that openly enjoying the delights make-up, hair, and skincare can provide deems us fangirls as anything but “serious” and becomes, at times, an interest for which we should feel shameful.
The concept that a thoughtful woman is not one concerned with her appearance is by no means a new form of female oppression, but it is still surprising that it is so common in our modern society. Just this past April 1st, beauty website Into The Gloss Instagrammed a photo of former Secretary of State, First Lady and Senator Hillary Clinton, implying that her beauty routine was profiled that day on the site. While it garnered several comments of excitement and adoration from the largely female following of ITG, predictably there were remarks shaming the publication for its seemingly frivolous line of inquest about this important woman. “Here’s one of the most interesting and intelligent women on the planet and you ask about which bb cream she prefers,” one judgment read. Admittedly, a woman who is poised to be the first female president of the United States surely has more weighty topics to ponder than her morning moisturising routine; yet even so, why not ask her? While the details of her hydrated skin are not facts that will usher her into the White House once again, her admission to this undeniably feminine side, though an April Fools Prank even if it was cleverly understated and thought-provoking, would make her no less worthy of her position in society and begs the question: why do we think that openly displaying an interest most women share would undermine her credibility as a presidential candidate?
There was a time when, as ridiculous as this sounds, openly admitting to your womanhood meant virtual career and social legitimacy suicide. Where a bright pout would undermine any word that would come from behind their lipstick covered mouth or groomed hair would distract attention from the brain that lay beneath. And it wasn’t that long ago. After the publication of her 1963 essay, I Was A Playboy Bunny, prolific feminist Gloria Steinem admitted (through her 1983 book, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions) to feeling as though her “only chance for seriousness lay in proving [her] difference from [the other Bunnies].” Unlike many powerful women’s rights advocates of her day, Steinem was undeniably beautiful and glamorous, a fact that ultimately helped her gain access to the exclusive world she famously profiled. Yet it was these same qualities that further stifled her career aspirations. On one meeting with a Life editor, the young tour-de-force was turned away with nothing more than, “we don’t want a pretty girl, we want a writer. Get out of here.” With that in mind, Steinem, undoubtedly a very strong woman, shed her previously glammed up appearance to help establish herself within a society unwelcoming to women both desirable and intelligent.
That was fifty years ago. A lot has changed, but there still are huge hurdles left to climb in the fight for gender equality, something that will hopefully gain momentum with the help of the recently launched HeForShe UN campaign backed by Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson, be it equal pay, better maternity leave, reproductive rights, or the squashing of slut-shaming (highlighted recently by the ugly backlash of Kim Kardashian’s provocative Paper Magazine cover). In her recent speech at the UN, Watson called for a unified fight to battle against gender disparity and correctly remarked that feminism is not exclusive to women. While undeniable that it cannot only be the oppressed class fighting for our seat at the hypothetical table, in order to accept the opposite sex into our cause, we as women must first learn to unequivocally support each other. No, feminism does not mean “man-hating,” as Watson points out, but it doesn’t mean woman-hating or woman-shaming either.
I like putting on make-up every morning. I like the way I look with my hair blown out. I genuinely love painting my nails. I still play with my make-up much like a five-year-old does when she finds her mother’s stash, though admittedly with better motor skills, for no other reason than because I think it’s fun. I truly enjoy these parts of my femininity. But just because I use the desk in my apartment more frequently as a vanity table than as a workstation, I am no less an important and serious member of our society nor am I more of a woman than ones who chooses to live virtually make-up free. As we as a community—men and women united—continue to move further through this battle of gender disparity, we as women must allow ourselves to enjoy some of the greatest parts about being a woman. Or not, that’s up to you. And that’s the beauty of it.
Credits
Text Elizabeth Hunt Brockway
Photography Chris Jong Kind