Makeup is an accessory – it enhances one’s appearance according to their liking. But since our world is one where appearances change perceptions, makeup sometimes becomes more than an accessory. Ultimately, it’s a person’s choice to do what they want, and no one else should have any say on it.
An anonymous user on Quora ask a question to the ladies, they asked:
“How do you get treated when wearing makeup vs. when you’re not?”
Over 200 women told their stories, here are nine of the best ones along with the pictures they shared.
1. Claire Douglas wrote:
“When I wear this much makeup, I get dirty looks from my family. Told to ‘tone it down’ in hushed whispers by my parents. Looked at funnily in public. Feigned enthusiasm from my peers. It’s kind of sad since I put so much effort into doing it, but I love it and that’s all that matters.”
“When I go out wearing no makeup, those that know me ask if I’m okay, whether I’m sick or not. Guys won’t approach me. My family tells me I need to try harder, that I don’t look like I’m taking care of myself.”
“I’m excited for the times and places where I feel confident enough and secure enough to express myself exactly how I want to, whether I’m wearing a full face of makeup with crazy eyeshadow and lip colors and fake eyelashes that touch my eyebrows, or to just walk outside with a clean face with nothing on it.”
2. Giang Nguyen shared:
“To be more exact, I get treated differently only when wearing heavy makeup. I have a pretty…how to put this…childish face, in Western standard. Most Asian women look younger than their real ages and I’m not an exception. In fact, I even look younger than my age in Asian standard. Plus, I’m a really small girl (153cm, 43kg… yep *crying a river*).”
“So when I wear heavy makeup – heavy enough that people don’t think I’m a 16-year-old girl, and sometimes with revealing clothes, I can make a few heads turn on the street. People, okay, some guys, might come to ask for my phone number, which means they see me as a woman. I might even be able to buy alcohol from the stores or the bar without being asked for my ID.”
“Other times when I don’t wear makeup, or when I wear everyday makeup (eye brows, eyeliners, blush and lipsticks), usually no one really notices me. Maybe they think, “Hell, who is this child”. No phone number requests. No turning heads. I guess it’s also because I’m a bit too small for European standards (I live in Helsinki). Sometimes it’s annoying when I hit the bar and don’t want to have 5 kilograms of makeup stuffs on my face. The security keeps stopping me.”
3. Shannon James said:
“I rarely leave the house without at least eyebrows and a swipe of mascara, so my answer will be based on that.”
“When I am wearing full/club makeup, complete with dark eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lipstick I notice that people are very, very nice to me. Men approach me more – even with my husband by my side. Women are generally very nice as well: they compliment my makeup and are friendly. Often times I feel as if I’m being stared at or watched. I’m more easily accepted into groups of friends and made to feel welcome. When I wear full makeup, the compliments are endless; it’s almost as if I can say nothing wrong. I assure you, I’m an awkward person, and I can say awkward things – people jump in to save the conversation when that happens.”
“When I am wearing my daily makeup, which consists of lighter eyeshadow with no eyeliner and chapstick opposed to lipstick, people are still very nice to me. I don’t get approached as much- especially if I’m out at night- but I still get compliments and looks; just nothing compared to my full/club makeup. Honestly, I think women give me more attention when I wear my daily makeup.”
“Finally, when I am wearing my version of “no makeup” which is barely filling in my brows to make them visible, and a swipe of mascara, I feel like an average person. I am approached way less and garner next to no looks. It sounds like a negative thing but for an introvert like me, it’s so peaceful to not have to respond to random conversation. I still get a few compliments, but they’re more about my personality than anything else.”
4. Rachel Renee wrote:
“When people meet me and I’m bare faced, I’m treated like just another person. Other women approach me for conversation if I’m at the bar, I exchange casual smiles while passing someone in the aisle grocery shopping, all just typical daily scenarios with the average human being. Rarely do I receive compliments on my looks or hit on.”
“But when people meet me when I’m dolled up, it’s night and day difference. As some of my best friends have told me, I come across as “intimidating” and “b*tchy” (which upon speaking to me changes, or so I’ve heard). I’ve had people tell me that before they got to know me they thought I’d be stuck up, I’ve had boys tell me that other boys wouldn’t date me in school because they’re too afraid, that I’m “too cool”. Girls have walked their boyfriends out of my work because of my looks. Random women have tried to pick fights with me because their husband was looking at me. When I have a full face of makeup on I can walk straight to the front of any VIP line at a night club and get in (even before I was 21.) I get significantly hit on more, even offered a lot of money in exchange for my ‘time’, and that has never happened without make up. People offer me jobs more and try to recruit me to do marketing. Rich men and athletes have taken me out on very luxurious dates, whereas I once did a personal experiment and met up with some one from a dating app bare faced, and never got a call back. (Granted I wouldn’t have answered, he was dull and egotistical, couldn’t keep a conversation going about anything other than lifting.)”
5. Ash Sab said:
“(With makeup,) Almost NOONE approaches me. If I’m with a group of friends, those are the only people I’ll converse/dance and have a laugh with. Noone outside the group will talk to me. When they do, this is what is usually said.”
- “You look a bit intimidating. I was scared to approach you.”
- “Wow, you’re nicer than I thought. You seemed like a b*tch.”
- Where are you from? You look exotic / your accent is strange.”
- “Insert compliment about how I look”
“I’ve heard these phrases on repeat for YEARS”
“Non-verbal“
- Blatant staring (from both males/females)
- Whispering amongst groups (males/females)
- More staring
- Sometimes smiling (from both male/female)
- Most times just staring
- Oh and young people AVOID me. (I’m 23 so that’s people my around the 18-25 age group.)
“Okay, so I am not denying that I don’t like receiving compliments but I do struggle a lot with people not taking time to get to know me before they make assumptions based on how I’m looking at that particular time.”
“And get this, the amount of times I’ve been approached for escorting offers is uncountable. I’ve been stopped from going to an apartment party by the receptionist because “working girls aren’t allowed before 10PM.” I MEAN….WHAT? And by no means am I saying there’s anything with that profession. Im just telling you my experiences.”
“But now that we are here, ill tell you a bit about makeup faced me:”
- Im Australian, originally from Zim. 5 foot 3, studying Master in Renewables
- I am a working professional by day, run my own business for women clutches by night.
- Even though they are tiger parents, my parents are my heroes. They struggled a lot to get to where they are now and I owe it to them to succeed.
- I’m “HILARIOUS” according to everyone that knows me
- I don’t have many friends (a lot of acquaintances but very few trustworthy friends)
- I have what you call “perfectionism complex”
- I’m almost fluent in Italian and beginner in Mandarin
“Bottom line is… don’t just a book by its cover. As cliche as that sounds.”
6. Karina shared:
“I get a lot of stares from males and females, yet I hardly ever get approached when out in public whether it be the club, bar, or social setting. I’m been known to be the one that makes the move in the past. I know I get treated different when I have makeup. Many can be judgemental, having preconceived ideas about me, thinking I’m stuck up or b*tchy. People can be really rude when they see me all dolled up and nosy as well. Asking what I do for work or if I have my lips done or any cosmetic surgery to my face, people aren’t the nicest, most likely from intimidation I like to think, so I pay them no mind. And then they get to know me and realize I’m very much the opposite. I won’t lie, I do have more confidence when I have makeup on. I love makeup though it’s fun and I’m learning to love my face without it too, makeup is simply my art and time to relax.”
“I get treated different without it. I look much younger than my age some people think I’m 15/16 so this causing a number of individuals to not take me serious whether it be in the business field or in public. I also suffer from acne scars so that affects my confidence so I much prefer to have foundation on. I’ve been asked before if I’m sick or that I look tired lol. I’m also approached more when I have no or little makeup on. Maybe I look less intimidating. Ultimately I don’t feel like I look that different without it vs with it, it’s simply a fun art/pastime and you shouldn’t depend on it we’re all beautiful!”
7. Ankita Srivastava wrote:
“Perfectly same.”
“I’d rather say when I am not wearing makeup some people would still come up to me and comment on my makeup.”
“I constantly have to tell people whether or not I am wearing makeup.”
8. Sue Croke shared:
“I notice a slight difference in the interested gender’s approach towards me.”
“And ladies generally complimenting on how nice I look with the makeover I put a good amount of time in. They sometimes ask what brand of what I used, treating me like a walking commercial board. smh”
“If I don’t wear makeup, I have zero interest of getting noticed. Cause I don’t wear makeup only when -I go to cosmetics shopping (for my face to be ready to try a couple products on), -to grocery shopping (which I don’t do as much as I used to anyways), when -I had zero sleep and -don’t feel like looking “good” when going to school, or anywhere else.”
“Oh and now that I remember it, I HATE when Sephora sales assistants assume that I don’t wear makeup usually just because I go shopping with that face in the first photo. “Do you really use these products that you’re buying?” they ask…”
“HOW DARE YOU, GOOD SIR!!!”
“Little do they know I mostly know more than they do.”
“But, other than that, seems like I get a lot of compliments on how I look when I wear a nicely done makeup. And when I don’t, nobody treats me like shit either.”
“It’s just that nobody walks up to you to say ‘you are mesmerizing with that childlike face of yours’ when you don’t wear any.”
“You look much younger and youthful, but not ‘hot’ when you don’t wear makeup, let’s face it.”
“So that’s what happens consequently.”
9. Alexandra Misăilă wrote:
“As far as my own opinion goes, without any makeup I look like an egg. In spite of my medium brown hair, my eyebrows are dark blonde and my eyelashes are … well… I think… transparent. My skin has moments when it breaks out and it’s horrible. If I ever went out without any makeup, I’d most likely be treated as a child.”
“I don’t have pictures of that, but I have pictures of my “no makeup” makeup look, which is some mascara, a bit of nude eyeshadow to elongate the eye, brows subtly done and some contouring. Oh, and lip balm.”
“When I do wear makeup, though, I tend to cake it on. Not in the Instagram beauty guru way, but I do like my makeup full-coverage. I go full glam just because it makes my confidence soar.”
“I don’t think that in my case, people treat me differently because of how much makeup I’m wearing (if they do, at all; my friends and boyfriend don’t, obviously), but because of how I feel in my own skin and how comfortable I am around them. When I feel anxious because of how I look, people tend to change their attitude just because I show less confidence.”
This post has even more stories from women and their experiences, read them all on Quora here.
Have you been treated differently with and without makeup? Share your stories in the comments below!
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