do you wear makeup every day?

Do you wear makeup every day? I do, and I’m definitely not alone. A survey for Bobbi Brown Cosmetics of over 1800 young women aged 16 to 19 showed that two-thirds of respondents wore makeup five or more days a week — and just 7 per cent said they wore makeup only on special occasions.

To be honest, I wasn’t surprised, or shocked, or dismayed, or anything by this. But I was a little taken aback by all the comments from readers on The Age website where I read this information. There were a few exceptions, but the overwhelming response was that wearing makeup is stupid, and women who do wear it are superficial and insecure.

In a nutshell, they were saying things like: ‘I truly feel sorry for people who feel they have to wear makeup every day,’ and ‘You must be so insecure if you can’t bear to be seen without it,’ and ‘I don’t feel the need to put on a façade and pretend to look like someone I’m not,’’ and, ‘There are more important things than appearance.’

The worst was from a guy: ‘It must be terrible to feel so societally insecure that an entire gender can not face the world without a mask.’

I can appreciate their side of the argument. And I think it’s great for you if you choose to go bare-faced and natural. But it’s the condescension towards women who do choose to enhance their features with makeup that I find really strange and troubling.

For me, wearing makeup is just about the way I personally conceptualise taking pride in myself. It’s the same as why I would bother to wear nice clothes, or even think about how I’m dressing. I don’t feel any pressure to wear makeup in my workplace, or when I go down the street; I just like to. It makes me feel good to look my best.

That might make me superficial to an extent,  but I don’t really think it means I’m putting on a mask, or pretending to be someone I’m not. I’m not trying to fool anyone into thinking I was born with bright red lips- I just think it’s fun, and I like the way it makes me look. It’s part of the way my personality, tastes and feelings express themselves.

It’s not really about attracting boys either. Boys always seem to say that girls look the most beautiful when they’ve just woken up, and I believe that they believe that. And those days slobbing around the house in your pyjamas can be some of the most fun ever. But for a date? Taking the time to primp and pamper myself is personally always going to make me feel more special and sexy.

The other point that seems to have been forgotten is that makeup isn’t always just about hiding imperfections. It can also be about drawing attention to your best features, enhancing what is already beautiful. And what’s wrong with that?

A popular argument against wearing makeup is that men don’t have to wear it. But I kind of look at it the other way around: men don’t GET to wear it. (Well, some do these days. And I think that’s even more fabulous. I must admit I have a weakness for boys in eyeliner.) I think it’s fun to play with colours, and try out different styles, and experiment with all the possibilities. It’s still your face; you still look like you. But you can enhance it or liven it in any way you like- and that’s a really exciting freedom to have.

For me, wearing lipstick is like a little celebration of femininity. It’s saying to the world, ‘I’m a girl, and I don’t have to hide that to be successful.’

But in the end, it all comes down to your own personal taste. Whether you love makeup or hate it, just go out into the world like the fabulous person you are. And just try not to judge other women for what they do or do not choose to put on their faces.