Great resources on make-up & feminism

February 25, 2015 11:25 PM

I want to read/learn/discover more about make-up as part of the fashion industry, as a feminist act, as a weapon of patriarchy, personal stories of make-up - not the how to do it or what to buy, but the whys of make-up. Tumblrs, videos, articles, books - where are people interrogating and discussing and celebrating make-up? I'm mostly interested in the feminist take, but I'm also interested in other aspects, and from commercial make-up to theatrical fantasy stuff.
posted by viggorlijah to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (10 answers total)

/r/makeupaddiction - definitely a feminist take on interrogating, discussing, and celebrating makeup. Lots of people (not just women) posting pictures of their makeup for "constructive criticism", posting product reviews, and probably of most interest to you, engaging in open-ended discussion about makeup from different perspectives. The "rules" and "discouraged comments" in the sidebar will give you a good idea of what to expect.

The singular obsession with large, dark, sharp eyebrows has been huge for a while now, and it's interesting to see the start of a bit of a tentative backlash in the subreddit. I think it will get very interesting soon.
posted by cilantro at 1:05 AM on February 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

Sali Hughes is a fantastic beauty writer and proud feminist who writes on this subject. Here are some examples:

http://www.salihughesbeauty.com/columns/note-internet-crusaders-beauty/

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/sali-hughes-of-course-you-can-be-a-feminist-and-care-about-how-you-look-1.2037157
posted by Dwardles at 2:57 AM on February 26, 2015

History: Hope in a Jar by Kathy Peiss is the classic in the field.
posted by correcaminos at 3:54 AM on February 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Stevie Wilson frequently makes comics about the intersection of fashion and feminism.
posted by Narrative Priorities at 5:21 AM on February 26, 2015

Anything that the fantastic Arabelle Sicardi does is the correct answer to this question.
posted by LeeLanded at 5:35 AM on February 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Sounds like you might like the New Inquiry's blog, The Beheld.
posted by Aubergine at 8:54 AM on February 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

One of the recent videos of the PBS Idea Channel [SLYT] was about makeup and it's right down that alley.
They've listed those three sources:

Hope in a Jar by Kathy Peiss
Cosmetics, Identity and Consciousness by Camilla Power
The Cosmetic Gaze by Bernadette Wegenstein
posted by bigendian at 2:30 PM on February 26, 2015

Those Pesky Dames made a series of videos on the theme of make up. I found their different takes on it really interesting. Playlist here.
posted by the cat's pyjamas at 3:39 AM on February 27, 2015

Feminist Makeup Tutorial and Friendzone Makeup Tutorial from tadelesmith (and it looks like she has some others that look fantastic) are not at all serious explorations but are certainly insightful and fun to watch.
posted by jaguar at 7:24 PM on February 27, 2015

(After having watched it, I feel the need to also specifically link the Gamergate Makeup Tutorial.)
posted by jaguar at 7:32 PM on February 27, 2015