Why Do Women Wear Makeup? Psychological Reasons & More

Brush up on the psychology of why and how women use cosmetics

Did you know that 44% of women don’t leave the house without putting makeup on? Perhaps you’re one of these women or a friend or partner of a makeup-loving woman. Either way, you have one question: “Why?” Why do women wear makeup? Is there a psychology behind it, or do they just wear it to wear it? Luckily, we have all the answers you’re looking for in this article. Keep reading to learn the science behind why some women love and wear makeup.

Tana Bolinger

FamilyShare - bolinger.tana@gmail.com

Starting with the ancient Egyptians and all the way to modern day teenagers, every woman, young and old, has experimented with makeup in some form. The way liquid eyeliner can enhance the eyes to make them pop, and the process in which foundation can cover unwanted blemishes is truly astounding.

So, is makeup essential to convey a women’s outer beauty?

When asking women why they choose to wear makeup, the responses were all very different. Many women said that they wore makeup for the fun of it. Wearing excess amount of colors and styles makes for a more confident and spunky woman.

Others said that without makeup they wouldn’t feel confident enough to take on the world and be themselves. One woman even shared that she can’t even leave the house to grab her mail without it.

Cross-cultural research has shown that even various cultures view beauty differently than others. For example, when women have an obvious fake tan in England, they are viewed as beautiful, whereas in Korea pale skin is beautiful.

Wearing makeup isn’t all for fun and games; there is meaning behind every stroke of mascara on our eyelashes. Every shade of eye shadow we apply on our eyelids. There has even been research done to find out the real reason why women really where makeup.

Here is what research tells us:

1. Women wear makeup for themselves

The happiness women get when they leave the house feeling confident in their own skin does not come often. It doesn’t really matter what the factors are - there are so many - women just tend to have a harder time feeling good about themselves.

Putting on makeup reminds them of the beauty that they possess. It makes them feel presentable, confident, and yes, pretty. High self-esteem has been proven to correlate with a positive body image.

The author of Face Paint: The Story of Makeup, Lisa Eldridge told The Guardian, “After 20 years working as a makeup artist I can say confidently that women wear makeup for themselves.” She continues, “There are many different roles makeup can play in a woman’s life… Makeup can make you feel more powerful and ready to face any situation.”

2. Men are drawn to makeup

Although there are many women who wear it for themselves, there are still some who do it completely for the satisfaction of others.

Men perceive women who wear red lipstick as more attractive than those who wore any other shade. This statement is a fact based off a study conducted in 2012. It was discovered by a field experiment in which women stood in a bar with different colored lipstick to determine if the ones who wore red would be approached sooner. The results concluded that they did in fact get approached a lot quicker than those with brown lipstick, pink lipstick or no lipstick at all. What can we say, men just like makeup!

Men out there reading this article: why yes, we do wear makeup to look appealing to you. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t confident of ourselves as well.

Make-up's effect on women

Makeup can be used as a mask that allows women to hide behind their insecurities when trying to face the world. It is hard to be yourself in a world surrounded by hate, war, pride, judgment and selfishness. All of your doubts and imperfections can be put aside when you have makeup on to distract you from what you are unwilling to see or accept. Men, these are the women to worry about.

It is hard to accept who you are when you see supermodels and celebrities being worshipped as true beauty. The tabloids reveal that the primary function in wearing makeup is to look more appealing to men. Men, is this true? You tell us.

Makeup becomes a burden when we are pressured to wear it. Wearing makeup should be something that we can use to express ourselves and choose to use in order to enhance our natural features. In the end, we have our reasons and they are all different.

Men, it’s not for you; it’s for us.

Tana Bolinger, FamilyShare

Tana is a student with a passion for words. She believes that written words can touch people in ways unimaginable. In her spare time she enjoys singing, hiking, cuddling in a fuzzy blanket, and spending time with her friends and family.