Yeah, sorry, I don’t care about the fact that some women only feel confident in a full face of makeup, feminine clothes, and high-heels.
I care about the fact that women are expected to put themselves through a lot of pain and discomfort to look good to the point that it damages them (especially their feet in heels). I care about how these expectations are forced upon young women and how conformity starts so early. I care about how badly it affects women’s perception of themselves because we’re told to cover up so much of ourselves. I care about how women are taught to hate themselves and their bodies for being ‘unnatural’ and ‘disgusting’ for things that are perfectly natural/normal (eg: cellulite, having body fat, not having a at stomach, body hair). I care about how women are seen as unprofessional for not wearing makeup and how many people would discriminate against women for not wearing makeup, how many work places tell women that they need to wear makeup as part of their uniform because it’s ‘professional’ for women but there are zero expectations for men. I care about how many women are forced (either from a uniform policy or shamed into it) to wear heels to their jobs in the name of professionalism. I care about the fact that women are taught to hate their body hair and hence forced to shave from a young age, how many people are disgusted by female body hair and tell women that they should shave it because it’s not natural for a woman.
You will not and never will be empowered for conforming to patriarchal standards. You can like it and enjoy it all you wish, but stop pretending that your makeup is patriarchy fighting and you’re doing something other than conforming directly to patriarchal standards. Telling yourself that you will because you like it and you feel more confident that way is just something women tell themselves to prevent them from actually questioning why they may feel this way or doing work to unravel how their female socialisation has affected them. You have been socialised to feel this way and do exactly that and you’re only lying to yourself by pretending that it’s simply something you happen to like and want to do. Refusing to even question why these systems are in place, why makeup is enforced upon women, why women specifically seem to think that shaving it just ‘better’ than body hair is ignoring the systematic misogyny which women experience and it’s exactly what men want.
Telling yourself that feeling confident because you’re doing exactly what the patriarchy wants from you means that you’re ignoring what would actually give women power: education, control of their own bodies, financial literacy and independence, positions of authority, and so much more.
tangentwithtanner
prguitarman
izzy806
dededos
origamiaround
snowghoul
