Women in American society are constantly facing a concept described by Marilyn Frye known as "the birdcage." It's a concept meaning there are an obscene amount of contradictions threaded into the expectations society has for women. Some examples include:

1) Women will be judged whether or not they wear makeup. If they do, they're judged on how they wear it. Too much? Not enough? Did she put it on right? Does it even look good on her? Or if she doesn't wear makeup it's almost seen as a bold statement. Oh well she's not even putting an effort into her appearance, or maybe she's seen as "brave" or "self-confident" for being able to wear her natural-born face in public and not care what people think, which is nice but a little ridiculous. You should be able to wear your natural face and not have it be seen as "brave."

2) If a woman is intimate with a significant other(s) she could be seen as a "slut" or a "whore"--pardon my language--even though her actions are her own decision. Not to mention the obnoxious contradiction between men a women when it comes to sexual intercourse -- men being seen as "manly" and "powerful" yet women are shamed for doing the exact same thing. Or if a woman chooses to save herself for whatever her reasoning is, she may be seen as "naive" or "innocent."

The point being, there are contradictions in society where, no matter what a woman decides to do, she will be judged for it in some way or another. There is a lot of pressure on a woman when it comes to her appearance, but it's not her fault.

Often times there's a running joke amongst couples about how the woman/women need to take less time getting ready for whatever it is they have to do that day. But we need to stop making women feel guilty because it's the very society we all live in that causes this seemingly excessive care in one's physical appearance. Need I bring us back to our new "president?"

"You wouldn't have your job if you weren't beautiful" -- Donald Trump

Gotta love our own "leader" of our country reducing women's success and capabilities in the professional world to their appearance. Are you really surprised that we take so much time and put so much care into how we look each day? It's because there are people like this running around in society.

Because of this pressure, women often fall back on comparing themselves to each other. After all, in a society where your intellect or possibility for success is riding on your physical genes, of course it's going to happen to an extent. It becomes this constant competition because women are objectified and seen for their bodies.

We need to start teaching women that whoever they want to be is who they should embrace. Other people's opinions don't matter and they should never be considered. Especially when it comes to a woman's appearance. If a woman feels empowered because of the makeup she wears and the hairstyle she's wearing, then let her take two hours to get ready because society has taught her that it's admired or necessary. If she doesn't want to she shouldn't be seen as careless. Most men do not wear makeup, so their natural faces are embraced as "the norm" in society and women should be able to confidently walk down the street without feeling self-conscious.