Makeup Forever

It is fair to suggest that the fi rst thing a person consciously notes about another person is their
face. The face is the single most expressive part of the body. Makeup has been in use for several
thousand years as an agent for changing and modifying our visages. Thus, it is an agent for changing
and modifying what we express to each other on a very basic level. In some respects this is a
matter of professional necessity, as any actor can tell you. More generally, it makes a statement on
the cultures , societies and individuals that regularly use makeup.

In considering the meaning being conveyed by makeup, one might look at the subject from two
fairly different angles. The fi rst angle is somewhat abstract. As Marshall McLuhan stated, ‘the medium
is the message,’ so the fact that makeup is being used at all may carry some analyzable meaning.
The second, by its very nature, is open to interpretations of all kinds. What is the makeup, as it
is applied and used, actually saying? Moreover, what is the user implying and what is the interpreter
inferring?

When something is in such common usage as makeup, it is easy to overlook as a medium for expression.
Instead, we notice its absence. There are many people who seek to make a statement by
excluding cosmetics from their common experience. This is often a socio-political statement, geared
towards fashion industries and cultural beauty standards. As a general rule, I agree that the men and
women of the world don’t actually need any makeup at all. As far as that goes, my own view constitutes
a purely utilitarian approach. I fi nd it unfortunate however, that many people view fashion and
beauty standards as nothing more than aesthetic totalitarianism. There is more to the issue than is
addressed in such a terse appraisal of the subject.

For those strong enough in will to resist the pressures of such a perceived threat, I suggest they
use makeup to forge their own styles. In the non-utilitarian mode, makeup allows us to be creative
and is fun. Makeup is a vehicle to achieving a little fantasy in a world that is already drab enough.
The masks we create with the use of cosmetics are a way of expressing the myriad facets of our
personalities. In short, makeup allows us to be a different person everyday, according to who we
want to be or become.

This leads us to the second angle mentioned earlier. Let us presume that makeup is not a conspiracy
designed to keep people from acknowledging that they themselves are valuable and good of
themselves. Instead of considering makeup as aesthetic fascism, let us think of it as aesthetic liberation.
A comprehensive analysis of what message is sent by makeup could fi ll volumes. I will consider
a few select cases from personal experience, which will hopefully illustrate how broad a range of
signals can be conveyed by the medium.

One of my favourite illustrations of meaning with makeup can be found (primarily) in a youth sustained
sub-culture commonly known as ‘Goth.’ It is a sub-culture with a strong defiance to convention.
Resistance to social standards is obvious because both Goth males as well as females wear
makeup. As a general rule, the application of cosmetics is very dramatic and suggestive of fictional
horror genres. Makeup is employed to change one’s visage to look vampiric, faerie-esque or animalistic
(with a lycanthropic twist). One can infer from this highly stylized use of cosmetics that the
users have a strong affinity to supernatural phenomena, and especially the darker incarnations of the
supernatural.

It is common to see a desire in this sub-culture to substantiate and establish such extra-
worldly concepts as more concrete. Makeup is one way of doing this. In a broader analysis, one
may argue that these outward transformations are also indicative of an individual’s strong will and
capability to alter and expand their environment. A noteworthy point to be made of Goth sub-culture
is the meticulous attention to detail given in the application of makeup. The careful and studied
methods used are an exhibit of personality traits such as patience, fastidiousness and dedication.
There is likely no other section of society that maintains such a strong sense of creating it’s own reality
than this group, with the exception of professional actors.

Another area where makeup carries very specific connotations is in business. In standard business
situations it would be very unusual to fi nd men wearing cosmetics at all, so one must consider
women’s use of makeup. Perhaps most interesting to observe is the fact that a woman’s makeup is
nearly always an expression of company standards. How much or how little she wears can be correlated
to how conservative the employer is. This is especially notable in higher ranking positions.
Most workplaces now include makeup guidelines as part of their dress code, if one exists. There is a
strong implication that the individual and the organization have entered into an agreement. The individual
is displaying commitment, willingness to conform for the benefi t of greater good and therefore
an understanding of consequence, cause and effect. It is important that although limited, the use of
makeup still allows women in business an outlet for self expression, (much the same way a tie does
for men). Companies do value the specific qualities of their employees and theoretically those qualities
might be discernable to some extent by subtle cues like makeup. There is no room here for such
considerations, however.

There is another side to the use of makeup for creating reality; something rather opposite than
what Goth culture uses it for. Although prostitutes are by no means the only group to use this idea,
they stand as an excellent example of those - who instead of creating their own reality - are using
makeup to project an extension of someone else’s reality.

The someone else is a potential client. One can assume that people who solicit prostitutes are looking to add to their own reality something
that isn’t readily available to them. If a working girl is able to project an image of what these people
want, she is more likely to make a deal. The use of makeup here is co-ordinated with all possible visual
cues. In observation, one can argue that if the girls are not successful in business, their makeup
may not being giving any worthwhile statement. If the Girls are successful, there is a defi nite indication
that they are capable of accurately identifying the needs or desires of others and representing
them graphically. That is to say there is some level of empathy. Inasfar as extreme or fantastic makeup
can bring a client, the Girl’s success depends on delivering that fantasy. There must necessarily
be a certain amount of talent either towards acting or solipsism to convince her clientele, or (again)
she would not be successful.

As mentioned in the section regarding business makeup, one can go into very deep study of all
messages given by makeup. These short contemplations of the effect of makeup in communications
are in fact cursory, but they do serve to indicate that the nature of cosmetics has a strong impact on
society. Cosmetics are indicative of beliefs, value systems, emotional sensitivity and even work ethics.
On deeper examination they will no doubt be shown to be even more communicative.