In contemporary society, many people use products, magazines, television and other mediums in order to gather inspiration and information so they may stand out. I am not worried about perfection at all. I don’t think any of these mediums are directly used solely and only for advertising perfection; I believe that they are also tools towards standing out and defining a person’s wants and interests.
These mediums like anything else can be and are misinterpreted for instance, according to Sauers, When is Wearing Makeup A “Choice?” “When was the last time you saw a woman not wearing makeup on a billboard or on T.V.? This has left me with no illusions about the fact that makeup is, for women, considered standard in 21st Century America.” Whether or not a woman likes to wear makeup the societal expectation to look attractive is there, that has an impact on how people perceive it.
I myself wear makeup for a completely different purpose than what it is traditionally seen as. In other words, makeup is an aspect of fashion and it openly expresses an individual. Sadly, fashion is a huge part of society and so universal it can have different meanings. I think it is different for one to make the choice to wear makeup than for one to feel as if they have to. I feel as though society pressures women to look a certain way, but at the same time, people use that to their benefit. They don’t live up to those expectations, rather, they create their own standards by standing out and feeling absolutely beautiful inside and out. Speaking of which, the notion that wearing makeup is anti-feminist is silly.
To clear up any misconceptions for the roles of women as media targets in today’s society, keep in mind that there are people actively participating within society’s "expectations" of wearing makeup, whether it'd be to look or feel pretty, or even to just express themselves by having an entirely different motive. I think that my idea on the perspective of this article is best expressed through a quote (The NYTimes, “Red Lips can rule the world”) “Cleopatra pretty much invented the eyeliner, and she ruled a kingdom! Many consider her to be the first feminist ever; and her legacy is a testimony to the fact that a woman can be beautiful, smart, empowered and wear a ton of eye makeup.” This article may come off as having a semi-feminist aspect to it but, the fact of the matter is that I am aware of how wearing makeup can make a person feel versus what the expectation is.
