I’m not sure what age it was that make-up changed from something I wear when I go out at night to an everyday occurrence. Maybe it was when I was living on campus at university and each day became an unorganised social occasion.
While I’m not afraid of leaving the house without wearing make-up (which I know is the case for some women), it’s a rare occasion that you will actually catch me doing so.
Late last year, Harris Interactive conducted a study in the US on behalf of the Renfrew Center Foundation, which found that 44 per cent of women experience negative feelings when they aren’t wearing make-up.
Of the 1292 female participants, 16 per cent reported feeling unattractive, 14 per cent self-conscious and 14 per cent felt naked or as though something was missing when they were not wearing make-up. Only three per cent of the women that took part in the study said they felt more attractive going without make-up.
But while these statistics are sad, they are completely understandable. When we’re so used to wearing a product that hides our flaws and enhances our features, it’s always going to be hard to face the mirror el naturale.
Another reason that make-up has become like a security blanket is that we’re given access to it from such an early age. The study found that of those women who wear make-up, 51 per cent started wearing it between the ages of 14 and 16 while 27 per cent began their love affair with make-up between 11 and 13-years old. No wonder we feel naked without it – most of us have been wearing it for the majority of our lives!
While I wish that I was one of those three per cent of women who look in the mirror and think the person staring back is perfect just the way they are, I can’t help but think there’s no harm in adding just a little bit of slap here, a touch of mascara and a dusting of bronzer there. It’s still me, just a little bit improved…
