Feminism, for most, is a simple concept; gender equality. However there are some people that believe to be a feminist there are terms and conditions.

 

There’s the closed minded or uneducated members of society that think you have to be a lesbian man hater, and there’s particularly strong minded feminists that believe you have to strip yourself of all things unnatural to be considered a feminist.

 

Each feminist has his or her own definition of the term. For each individual the concept influences him or her in various ways. So long as we’re all campaigning for an end to the degrading of women, then that’s great. But should some women be made to feel like less of a feminist if they choose to wear make up and do their hair? And why does ‘going natural’ make you more of a feminist?

 

I can see where the idea comes from; men don’t need to wear make up and hide all evidence of body hair, so why should women? The idea of spending huge amounts of money and time to seek the approval of men does sound reactionary, especially considering the progress feminism has made in recent years.

With the continuous rise of social media obsessives it’s rare to find anyone without a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even Myspace if you’re a bit behind of the times. With the rise in social media profiles has come the rise in the women’s social media revolution. According to data from Twitter, conversation about “feminism” has increased by 300 percent on the platform over the past three years.

 

As more and more women spread feminist messages across the internet, many also choose to display their idea of what feminism means; this seems to often include the idea that to be a true feminist you shouldn’t have to adorn yourself for the approval of men. For many, though, wearing make up, getting hair extensions and having work done isn’t about attracting men, it’s about their happiness. After all, isn’t feminism about women doing what they want without fear of judgement?

 

The idea of rejecting make up, shaving and surgery began with second-wave feminism, which became popular in the late ’60s and early ’70s. These women would argue that by putting on makeup and dressing a certain way, women are appealing to men and patriarchal culture by being valued for their beauty and not their brains. This idea was brought about in a time when women were denied many of the rights we are lucky to have now. We have moved forward because of these women, so should we reject the views of our earlier feminists?

 

There are two forms of feminism, according to Eve Tushnet, an American journalist and women’s writer. Eve says there’s Choice feminism, following the idea that women should have a choice in all they do, and there’s Equality feminism, which means both genders should be equal in all they do. She also told us that Equality feminism “points out that when you focus on empowering women to make the choices they want to make right now, lots/most of them make choices which reinforce a) the dominant economic structure and b) their own inequality”.

 

According to Eve, “if we had equality, or at least in my head, if we had equality, people would be making the various choices at similar rates, rather than women choosing differently from men in ways which reinforce gender stereotypes and/or sex inequality”. Perhaps by choosing to wear make up, regardless of whether it’s for ourselves or for attraction, we are separating ourselves further from men and further establishing prejudice and opening ourselves up to discrimination. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hadley Freeman, a well respected and known journalist for the Guardian, also offered up an interesting view on the way we groom in a Guardian article. She said, “when women shave off their body hair, they are, in a very low-fi way, trying to make themselves look like a plastic doll. They are apologising for displaying signs of being an adult woman besides their breasts”.

 

Whilst some view make up as separation of the sexes, it appears shaving could also be a way of rejecting our womanhood. Is it possible that these tasks that are, for most, daily rituals could actually be damaging the progress feminism is beginning to make?

 

Hadley further wrote in her piece that, “feminism may be about choice, but it’s also about treating women fairly and one woman you definitely have to treat fairly is yourself, and an important part of that is being honest with yourself”. Those that argue that going ‘unnatural’ is their choice could be, in Hadley’s eyes, lying to themselves.

 

There are endless reasons online as to why you shouldn’t wear make up. For some, though, it’s not about why but more why not. Many women have facial scars, acne, hair damage- unlimited reasons as to why they don’t feel 100% comfortable in their own skin. For these women it might not be about what’s wrong with what they’re doing, but what is right about not doing it.

 

Cat, half of the rock duo ‘Poeticat’, justifies her act of maintaining her natural beauty; “as a feminist, I want to be able to reclaim the full power of my thinking and I feel that not having to worry about hair removal is a step towards this”. This idea of reclaiming a woman’s full power sounds amazing, it’s an inspiring statement to hear. One woman’s perspective of power, however, does no necessarily align with another’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gemma is a barmaid and student from London, and she’s had silicone implants put into her breasts. Gemma strongly disagrees with the idea that she is less of a feminist because of her boob job. She actually believes the contrary; “taking control of your body in that way is definitely something that can be argued as feminist”. 

 

The majorities assume that adapting fakery is pandering to the male gaze; a product of an image-obsessed culture that dictates that women must look perfect at all times. Delilah, an English Language student living in the North of England thinks that we need “to be cautious about the assumption that one person’s reasons for wearing makeup are the universal reasons, and that the only reasons women enjoy fashion and makeup is for public approval, particularly of men”, she says, “personally, I think that’s an enormous assumption. I believe that fashion and makeup can be just like any other art form where the human body is being used as a canvas for self-expression, such as tattoos. Makeup is not always for sex appeal”.

 

This is an incredibly interesting idea; I have tattoos but never would have thought to align them with make up and surgery. Tattoos, however, are entirely unisex, with more men actually donning the permanent body arts.

 

For many women, doing what they want without the fear of judgement is a feminist act. By choosing their own happiness they are acting strongly and confidently- this is something not all women in other cultures have.

 

What is this happiness based on, though? Whilst strongly agreeing that women can do whatever the hell they like, I do think it’s sad to hear that women find happiness in artificial beauty. On the other hand, it’s incredibly important for all women, and men, to understand and empathise that not all people can and will find happiness in the same ways as you, and many people aren’t lucky enough to have been exposed to an environment that allows them to appreciate their natural beauty. 

 

Like most women that choose to enhance their beauty with products; Cat, the 25 year old blogger behind the popular website ‘Oddly Lovely’, justifies her choice as an independent and progressive one. “If I get rich and one day decide that a facelift or a little lipo would make me happier, then I’ll be damned if I don’t go for it! Because surely, that is what a financially and socially independent woman would do? Surely we would not begrudge a woman a new pair of knockers if that were what she really wanted?”

 

Ultimately, we as women should defend our right to make our own decisions that dictate our life. Many feel that feminists urging women to go natural are going against the feminist movement by attempting to restrict a woman’s right to make choices, but leftist feminists argue that they do not disagree with women making their own choices, but are more critical of the capitalistic beauty industry.

Perhaps the utilization of make up, surgery and all things artificial is a step backwards in women’s liberation, but for some it may give them the confidence they need to step forward as independent women. Admittedly it may not be the ideal resource to obtain this, but that issue requires far more than stern words and put downs via the internet.