Why do women wear makeup: History, today's world,

and sociological understandings.

Cosmetics have a long, off and on again relationship with various cultures
worldwide. These products functions range from ceremonial or spiritual
meaning, marking an individual of an occupation, to trying to appeal to
others sense of beauty. Certain simple cosmetics have long been in use,
including henna, powders for lightening face, eyeliners, and paints.
The first believed applications of makeup were by the ancient Egyptians in
4,000 BC, as evidenced by the contents of their tombs: Kohl. This simple
cosmetic was designed to darken the area around the eyes, and even
thought to improve eyesight. Worn by women and men, it also had a very
sexualized connotation, and makeup was often worn with revealing
garments to signify a woman was a prostitute.
Around 3,000 BC, China had also developed a taste for cosmetic products. It
was common for women to paint their face white, again to signify that they
were a prostitute. Nails were also painted, but the bright colors were
reserved for women of a higher social status, and in this way, cosmetics
were a way of marking someone of class.
Greeks developed their cosmetics in a similar fashion, and marked their
prostitutes with makeup and brightly colored dresses.
Cosmetics through the middle ages represented promiscuous women and
nobility (the two of which are not necessarily mutually exclusive or related).
In fact, it was considered sin to wear makeup. The bible referenced ancient
Egyptians and their use of cosmetics in a sexual manner, criticizing them for
lustful dress.
Makeup made a surge of popularity in the Renaissance, but retained its
social stigma. This common, but somehow frowned upon opinion of the open
use of makeup continued into the early 20th century everywhere (except
France).
With the creation of photography and cinematography, makeup was brought
into a new light. No longer was it the stuff of prostitutes and nobility alone. It
was used by celebrities to attain flawless skin and defined features. So the
standard of female beauty began to shift. Much more was required to look
like the stars of the media. Thus began our current, Western stance with
makeup, leading it to be a fully integrated part of our society. So where are
we now? Into the 2000s makeup has been largely directed at the
mainstream consumers as opposed to the prostitutes, nobility, and
celebrities that all preceded them.
Makeup now is worn on a daily basis by every layperson and even attempts
to look natural, which greatly contrasts its former use as a specific mark
for individuals. Understanding how the current social situation arose from
thousands of years of a completely different use will only help so much. One
also needs to analyze in depth the social environment and its effect on us as
members of this Western society.

In our modern society today make up is the norm for most females. For
many women makeup has become a just an everyday practice in their
agenda. As the media and technology progressed the past couple decades
the importance of self-image and the standards of womens beauty has
become more enforced in US society. Mass media these pasts few decades
has exponentially increased with commercial advertising. Many people claim
that advertising does not effect their conceptions and perspective, but the
influences from advertisement are inevitable in the society we live in. The
media suggests a direct correlation between someones worth as a person
and that of owning a specific product or looking a certain way. For women
their worth is portrayed by the standards of beauty shown through the
media. Beauty is considered a subjective topic, but the mass media
generates and upholds a narrow standard for what it takes to be beautiful.
Mass media is no longer centered on the products that consumers make but
also the consumers themselves.

A new study states that 1/3 of all women wear makeup every single time
they leave the house, even if it is to just run a chore. 1 out of 4 women think
that they wouldnt been given the same opportunities in a professional field
if they didnt apply makeup, and 37% of the management field explain that
they would assume that they didnt take care of themselves if they
showed up to a interview with a bare face. Womens reasoning of why they
apply makeup every day varies. Some women explain that it is to attract the
opposite sex or because its consider professional for their careers. Other
women explain that it acts as a placebo to raise self-confidence and makes
them feel put together. Bobbi Brown, the founder of a cosmetic line,
explains that focusing on others perceptions misses the point of what
makes makeup powerful. She quotes We are able to transform ourselves,
not only how we are perceived, but how we feel. While for Bobbi Brown
view of makeup deals with convincing an individuals perception of oneself,
many other people view makeup as a necessity to survive in the workforce.
According to past research, attractive people earn more salary and get more
promotions than average looking people. This has cause women to spend an
average of one-third of their salaries on their physical appearance. The
significance of this is shown when we look at the success of the cosmetic
industry. The cosmetic industry is a $30 billion dollar industry with an annual
growth rate of 20%. Men explain their views on make up on Yourtango and
they explain that way too much time and money is invested in makeup. One
of the males viewed makeup as lying paint and many of the males
thought that the natural look is more appealing than caked on makeup.
There is a vast magnitude of reason why women might wear makeup and
how society perceives makeup, but there is no denying that it has become a
standard form of culture in our society.
Many would argue that women wearing makeup is the result of a male
dominated society. Wearing makeup is, in a sense, one way in which women
do gender. They distinctly separate themselves from a male identity by
doing something distinctly feminine.
Women are creating reality and
identities with others just by their use of makeup; people will know how a

woman views herself and wants to be viewed if she takes the time to make
herself look nice.
Conflict theorists and Marxist feminists would argue that makeup is an
invisible net which capitalism uses to control women. Just imagine how
many jobs and money would be lost if women werent taught to hate their
bodies. Capitalism creates displays designed to tell women, You should
look like this. If not, then you arent good enough for a man. Women wear
products that are made by men. So, in a way, wearing makeup is part of a
patriarchal society; men telling women they arent good enough. This
represents the looking glass self of symbolic interactionist theory; a
woman is basing her identity off of the opinions of others. Makeup is one
thing, turned object, which allows women to perform their role in life.
Sigmund Freud would argue that women wearing makeup is a result of
generations upon generations of penis envy among young girls. When a
girl realizes she cannot have intercourse with her mother, she envies the
fact that her father can. But soon she realizes she will one day be able to
produce offspring and decides to emulate her mother instead. She will
emulate her in many ways, be that doing housework or what she wears,
including makeup.
The reasons for a woman wearing makeup are endless. Some make
complete sense, while others are quite controversial and hard to accept.
But, no matter what the reason, one cannot ignore the fact that our modern
day Western culture has had a dramatic influence on how a woman chooses
to present herself to others, and how she views herself in private.

The Way We Buy Beauty Now

How millennial skepticism is revolutionizing the beauty industry, one
purchase at a time
by Beth Shapouri May 26, 2016, 10:02am EDT

When it comes to beauty products, millennials are a suspicious crew. Burned

by stressful counter experiences and hyperbolic magazine reviews, and
harboring a sense that very few opinions can be trusted, they're skeptical
personal-grooming shoppers.

For an industry that took in $46.2 billion in 2015 and is projected to rise to
$51.8 billion in 2020 (according to Mintel) bending to millennial whims isnt
just a good idea its crucial. Theyre not only the largest generation in
America, but according a 2015 study done by TABS Analytics, women ages
18 to 34 are also the biggest portion of the $13 billion dollar cosmetics
market, and theyre more likely to be heavy buyers, meaning they purchase

more than 10 types of products a year. Plus, todays shopper isnt against a
splurge the U.S. prestige beauty industry reached $16 billion in 2015, a
seven percent increase over 2014 sales, according to The NPD Group. The
biggest gainer: makeup at 13 percent a jump attributed largely to the
generations love for the Instagram-driven trends of contouring, strobing,
baking, and color-correcting with dollars going to concealer, primers, and
contour, highlighting, and sculpting kits as well as eyebrow products.

This distrusting, must-see-to-believe stance is impacting how, why, and

where buying happens, and so the industry must respond. And with retailers
and brands changing to accommodate these shifts, its effectively changing
how all consumers shop for beauty. Heres a look at the changing landscape.

The "Sephorization" of beauty aisles

Millennials dont just want to witness a product in action, they demand it.
Testing is vital to todays buyer. This could partially explain why respondents
in the TABS survey reported buying fewer beauty products online last year
than the year before, and has certainly helped the rise of the sample box
services like Birchbox, Ipsys Glam Bag, Memebox, and Scentbird. Its also
one of the reasons specialty stores Ulta and Sephora have seen such
success. With testers out, theyre playgrounds for consumers to decide for
themselves whats worthy of a credit-card swipe.

Trial stations are a great set up to break past several barriers of suspicion,
which is why although the main store categories (mass retailers, drugstores,
and department stores) are still top dog for cosmetic buyers overall, these
two retailers are hot on their heels. In the TABS survey, Ulta had a 41
percent increase in regular buyer purchases compared to 2014. Sephora
reported a 25 percent increase in buyer penetration and a 32 percent
increase in regular buyer purchases over 2014. Another checkmark in their
corner: people spend more there per visit.

The message is clear. Consumers want to try before they buy. And retailers
are listening as more are offering samples and bringing products out on
shelves vs. behind counters, a move Karen Grant global beauty industry
analyst for The NDP Group calls "Sephoraization." A few other indications
that the industry is rolling with these punches: Nordstrom has created a
sampling and educational "conceirge" service. Target has created its own
beauty trial box service.

Sephora even took things a step further with the debut of its TIP (an
acronym for Teach, Inspire, Play) concept store in San Francisco last year,

featuring education centers equipped with iPads loaded with information,

USB ports, and WiFi, as well as makeover and skincare stations where
consumers can get a customized prescription for the beauty look of their
choice. The company indicated that the model is the blueprint for future
stores.

One side effect of this environment is that anti-aging is down within this age
group, as anything that takes time to see results is at a disadvantage. Were
seeing that reflected in the sales numbers, as fragrance is outperforming
skin care, and the overall focus of the category has shifted to preparation
with masks (the sales of which have doubled in the past two years, thanks in
part to the growing interest in Korean-based skin trends) and conceal-whilethey-correct CC creams.

No more one-size shopping

This overall feeling of skepticism isnt stopping people from buying from the
big brands the TABS Analytics report found that in the U.S. makeup
category mainstream players like LOral Maybelline, CoverGirl, Revlon,
Este Lauder, and Clinique and well-known specialty brands like MAC and
Urban Decay are still going strong.

What it does seem to be impacted is the belief that any one brand is the
answer to all their problems. As a group with a penchant for self-expression
and individualism, millennials like choice. "Its like the a la carte menu
instead of having it all set for you. You cant image having your playlist
dictated to you today," explains Grant.

This means the door is opening wider to specialty, niche, and indie lines.
The NPD Group reports that in the prestige space, smaller brands like
Anastasia Beverly Hills, IT Cosmetics, Too Faced, NARS, and Tarte have all
seen significant growth. Whether these Davids will eventually cut into the
sales of tried-and-true Goliaths remains to be seen. "[Its] definitely not
inevitable that big brands will lose sales to new brands," says Kurt Jetta,
Ph.D., CEO and lead product developer for TABS Analytics. Why? "The
consumer has demonstrated a very high capacity to try and use multiple
brands and that tendency seems to be growing over time." In other words,
theyre buying more of everything both niche and big-name.

One growing area of interest: the natural segment. In a survey by Nielsen,

53 percent of respondents felt "all-natural" was important in their buying
habits today. We can see this reflected by the 24 percent growth the organic

channel saw over a four-year period, and is likely also fueled by the growing
distrust in the use of chemicals.

Then theres the ethnicity angle, something thats being addressed by crossculturual indie brands like black Up cosmetics, Korean cross-over brand
Chosungah 22, and Miss Jessies hair care line as well as household-name
companies.

"Were seeing a revolt in the beauty aisle by consumers who dont

understand why multicultural products are often sold on separate shelves,
and this reflects changing demographics," says Shepherd Laughlin, director
of trend forecasting at J. Walter Thompson. "Going forward, any brand is
going to have to create products for all types of hair and skin in order to be
considered a mainstream brand." One giant leading the way: LOral, which
recently created its own multicultural beauty division.

Consumers also like to vary how much theyre spending. "Theres this sharp
differentiation in the pricing," says Dr. Jetta. "They either go really
inexpensive and still look for quality [with products] below $5 or indulgent in
the $20, $30, $40 range." This kind of high-low buying that has ruled fashion
for years means that now a consumer has a beauty wardrobe of "luxury"
and "affordable." This fact is an advantage for Ulta, which carries budget,
mid-level, and prestige brands side by side by side, offering a one-stop-shop
for the cost mixer-and-matcher. This also may be a clue as for whats to
come at Macys with the companys recent acquisition of luxury retailer
Bluemercury. Looking forward, Dr. Jetta says, "If one of the major retailers
like Walgreens, CVS, or Target cut a deal with the heritage brands like
Chanel or Lancme that would be a major coup."

Death of a (traditional) salesman

Besides the traditional products-behind-the-counter or products-inpackaging set up another traditional store element is now on the
endangered species list: The traditional sales associate. While folks are still
showing up in the flesh to buy their products (90 percent of shopping is still
done at brick and mortar stores), buyers today are taking the experience
into their own hands and researching before they buy.

While they still want to try the products in the store to seal the deal, "Most
purchases are planned I would say that the buyer now goes in knowing
what she wants at least 70 percent of the time," says Grant. So where are
they turning? Online reviews for one. Beauty blogs and YouTube are also two
winners here (with social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and

Instagram trailing behind them, according to the TABS report). But perhaps
the gold standard is the advice of a friend. The majority of shoppers in this
key age group said that a recommendation from someone they know is
influential to their decision to buy a brand, second only in influence to price,
according to Adriot Digitals Millenials: The New Age of Brand Loyalty report.

In fact, shoppers are so disillusioned with biased advice that even if they
havent had time to research beforehand, asking for help is still not
something theyre likely to do. A recent poll found that the number of people
who would rather reach for their smart phones for a quick check on a
products reputation or price comparison rather than ask the salesperson
has reached 58 percent.

This DIY research boosts buying confidence and helps match product
expectations with reality. But it also means that the traditional salesperson
is out. Once the gatekeeper to the world of beauty and the leading role in
the buying experience, the sales associate is now the helpful supporting
cast member that people want only involved when absolutely necessary
and without any pressure or tie to one particular line in a multi-brand store.
This impacts all retailers across the board, as a pushy employee could scare
off a jittery browser. The shift is also perhaps one of the reasons why brands
like CoverGirl, MAC, and Honest Beauty have tried to take product education
into their own hands with the release of try-on and how-to apps to increase
consumer knowledge without the help of a sales person.

Clear labeling and brand messaging is becoming increasingly important in

the environment when a consumer is picking on their own, they want to
know what they're getting. Nielsen indicates that consumers are now
looking for terms that are easily understood (like "retinol" and "collagen"
rather than something like "hexinol technology") as well as specific details
about what to expect for example, they want to know how long it takes to
see results up front. It's also a way that users can make sure products and
the companies making them align with their values, says Dana Cho, partner
at global design firm IDEO. For a generation that likes to stop responsibly
and sustainably, the demand for transparency in everything from sourcing
to production is sure to grow.

Eyeing the future

Surely there are more changes to come, but heres what we can predict:
Customization will continue to grow from all brands both big and small, with
build-your-own palettes, and skin, hair care, fragrance, and makeup
products created to be layered for a customized finish ("Theyll have to
create more opportunities to mix and match," says Grant). The demand for

natural formulas, sustainability, and information about ingredient safety will

likely increase.

With Sephora and Ulta announcing plans for expansion and web-native
brands like Credo and Birchbox continuing to set up shopping destinations,
buying will most likely stay largely in the physical world where the
consumer will have more control and opportunities to play, try, and learn
before they buy.

The hope is that this all leads to more more extensive results-testing, more
transparency, and, finally, more effective products. As millennials continue
to dominate the beauty-buying space, products that deliver on promises and
live up to the hype created by social media campaigns will become more
important than ever. After all, with a generation that buys with one groomed
eyebrow raised, one disappointment could lose a customers trust for good.