When seeking to answer a thorny question, always turn to Google. That’s what I did when considering the debate over makeup – specifically, whether or not the act of purchasing and putting on makeup can be considered empowering. If I take the Google results as definitive, the answer is a resounding yes. Makeup is empowering; makeup allows women to present themselves however they want; makeup is a tool for self-expression; everybody, men included, should be allowed to wear makeup. According to Google, makeup is the best self-help tool there is, and if you’re not slathering your face in foundation, you’re not really empowered.

Here’s the thing, though: I don’t buy it.

I don’t believe that something can be considered empowering if it’s expected of you by society. And make no mistake, makeup is expected of women in society. Studies have shown that women who wear makeup are considered to be more confident, more attractive, and more trustworthy. Women who wear makeup are more likely to get the jobs they apply for and be promoted in those jobs. What’s the point of all this? It’s that in our society, there is a clear and measurable benefit to wearing makeup – and a clear and measurable punishment for those who do not. Society rewards women who wear makeup. Is it really all that empowering to do exactly what society expects – and practically requires – you to do? And if you buy into society’s idea of the proper woman, and decide that damn it all, you’ll do what it takes to get ahead, you’re heading into tricky financial and physical waters.

Let’s address financial first: as any woman can tell you, makeup ain’t cheap. Even if you buy the so-called drugstore brands, you’re looking at hefty prices for all the elements needed to create a “natural” look, and if you decide to go for the higher-end items, you’re looking at a whopping $22 for a single eyeliner pen. If you’re making minimum wage, that’s more than two hours of work required to pay for a single makeup product. And remember, if you want to get ahead, you need to have them all. It’s estimated that women, over the course of their lives, will spend nearly $15,000 on makeup. I don’t know about you, but I can think of a lot of things I’d rather do with that amount of money.

Then there’s the undeniable fact: makeup destroys your skin. And your eyelashes. And your eyebrows. Wearing mascara thins your eyelashes, requiring you to – guess what? – buy more mascara to keep yourself looking presentable. Plucking and shaping your eyebrows can lead to permanent eyebrow loss, meaning that if you want to avoid looking like Paul Bettany’s character from "The Da Vinci Code," you’ll need to get yourself some brow pencils. And finally, there’s foundation, which clogs the hell out of your pores. How do you prevent breakouts and still wear your natural look every day, you ask? Buy moisturizer, primer, toner, and makeup remover. In short, you’re buying more makeup to undo the damage makeup has done to your skin. Am I crazy for seeing something wrong with that?

Finally, there’s time. We’re all busy people. We have jobs and hobbies and families and lives, and yet, applying the all-important natural look takes up a lot of that time. The average woman will spend two years of her life applying, touching up, and removing makeup. Life is already short enough. There’s no need to make it shorter.

So screw Google. Screw the beauty bloggers telling you that you, too, can get lips like Kylie Jenner’s if only you buy these 10 products and wake up two hours earlier. Screw the companies that are making money off of telling you you’re not good enough the way you are. If you want to wear makeup, fine. I’m not judging. Just don’t go telling yourself and everybody else that you’re empowered because you do.