The Naked Face Project

[Penthesilea]

Two women. Sixty days. No makeup. No shaving. No primping. What happens next?


Mission

“Why do you wear makeup?” the eight year-old asked. “Because it’s fun!” we inevitably answer. But when we really get honest, that’s simply not the truth. We both work for organizations that promote a message of inner beauty, empowerment, and self-confidence, and we still engage in Beauty Habits – like makeup, shaving, and wearing uncomfortable feminine clothing . We’ve believed for years that these habits would enhance our appearance. After much discussion, we found the difference between what we preach and how we choose to act on a day-to-day basis troubling.

We’ve often said, “I need to go fix my face,” but really – what is there to fix? This is our journey to explore what happens when we start living in complete alignment with the message we encourage others to live by. We do not know where The Naked Face Project will take us. We do not have a hypothesis we hope to prove or know how we will feel at the end of sixty days. We’re not trying to make a political or feminist statement. We simply want to live in our own space of authentic beauty and be more intentional in our actions. That’s why we’ve chosen to completely commit ourselves in the project for sixty days. It is only through this total immersion that we believe we will come to a more authentic answer for the hard questions little girls ask.

Honestly, we expect The Naked Face Project to be very uncomfortable for us because we’ve engaged in these Beauty Habits for so long. We feel like we’ve only approached feminine beauty in one way for our entire lives. What might reveal itself when we give ourselves the opportunity to experience another way?


Here's the website: http://www.thenakedfaceproject.com/

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I've always refused to fall into that specific trap. I don't wear any kind of makeup except maybe once every two or three years, and even then it's only eyeliner and maybe lipstick, nothing more. I don't wear high heels on principle, and no tight skirts (even back when I had the shape for it ).
I didn't shave my legs until a few years ago (damn, you really get more hairy with age ), and even now I only do it when I feel like it, and never between September and April/May.
When I was a teenage girl, I didn't know any girl who shaved, I didn't even know such a thing existed. I cringe when I see my teenage daughter going through the inconvenience of shaving every other day ( ). For her it's just normal; all girls in her class and sports team do it. Now that's a completely new and different mindset. And yes, I totally blame American movies and the beauty industry for it.


I don't mind other women deciding differently for themselves (should go without saying) but I've always rejected the mindset that women have to go through all these additional efforts in order to be "acceptable" in social and professional situations.


From the website:

We’re not trying to make a political or feminist statement.

There they make a mistake, if you ask me. It IS a political/feminist statement and they should embrace that side of it.

[Lynne]

Interesting, Chrissi - I will go check it out - I should be half way there already.

I gave up on the shaving thing a couple of years ago.  A lot of the women in my Meeting don't shave (think Simplicity Testimony) or wear much if any makeup.  I did it before back in the 90's during my veggie/earthy/crunchy days, but started again when I had to wear a semi-formal dress.  Tights really didn't work, and more sheer pantyhose looked totally gross.  Today I would have chosen a longer dress and that would have taken care of that.

To toss out a broad generalization - It turns out that some of the men in our lives care about this sort of thing, at least academically, both gay and straight.  And who would have thought that, hunh?  Or maybe they just don't want to be asked to think about it...

Makeup?  A bit of mascara and lipstick and I'm done.  Foundation does bad things to my skin.  But I will trowel it on for the odd 'special occasion' then regret it for a few days.

Hair primping is my worst thing and I always feel insecure there.  'Normal days' I don't and wear it in a ponytail or put it in a clip.  'Special days' are nearly painful trying to make it 'look right'.  I have this interview next week and my hairdresser friend is even going to style it for me - it's sweet of her - but I *loathe* that I felt like I needed to ask her.

One woman about my age from my Meeting - who is totally gorgeous/attractive inside and out - has let her hair go completely gray and publicly stated that it's part of her Simplicity testimony - since very few people adhere to the older-time simple dress anymore.  I am so not ready for that.  May never be.

Any heel higher than an inch or so is just evil and shouldn't exist.  

There they make a mistake, if you ask me. It IS a political/feminist statement and they should embrace that side of it.

I agree with you.

Two women. Siyty days. No makeup. No shaving. No primping. What happens next?


Mission

“Why do you wear makeup?” the eight year-old asked. “Because it’s fun!” we inevitably answer. But when we really get honest, that’s simply not the truth. We both work for organizations that promote a message of inner beauty, empowerment, and self-confidence, and we still engage in Beauty Habits – like makeup, shaving, and wearing uncomfortable feminine clothing . We’ve believed for years that these habits would enhance our appearance. After much discussion, we found the difference between what we preach and how we choose to act on a day-to-day basis troubling.

We’ve often said, “I need to go fix my face,” but really – what is there to fix? This is our journey to explore what happens when we start living in complete alignment with the message we encourage others to live by. We do not know where The Naked Face Project will take us. We do not have a hypothesis we hope to prove or know how we will feel at the end of sixty days. We’re not trying to make a political or feminist statement. We simply want to live in our own space of authentic beauty and be more intentional in our actions. That’s why we’ve chosen to completely commit ourselves in the project for sixty days. It is only through this total immersion that we believe we will come to a more authentic answer for the hard questions little girls ask.

Honestly, we expect The Naked Face Project to be very uncomfortable for us because we’ve engaged in these Beauty Habits for so long. We feel like we’ve only approached feminine beauty in one way for our entire lives. What might reveal itself when we give ourselves the opportunity to experience another way?


Here's the website: http://www.thenakedfaceproject.com/

---------------------------------------------------

I've always refused to fall into that specific trap. I don't wear any kind of makeup except maybe once every two or three years, and even then it's only eyeliner and maybe lipstick, nothing more. I don't wear high heels on principle, and no tight skirts (even back when I had the shape for it ).
I didn't shave my legs until a few years ago (damn, you really get more hairy with age ), and even now I only do it when I feel like it, and never between September and April/May.
When I was a teenage girl, I didn't know any girl who shaved, I didn't even know such a thing existed. I cringe when I see my teenage daughter going through the inconvenience of shaving every other day ( ). For her it's just normal; all girls in her class and sports team do it. Now that's a completely new and different mindset. And yes, I totally blame American movies and the beauty industry for it.


I don't mind other women deciding differently for themselves (should go without saying) but I've always rejected the mindset that women have to go through all these additional efforts in order to be "acceptable" in social and professional situations.


From the website:
There they make a mistake, if you ask me. It IS a political/feminist statement and they should embrace that side of it.

[Luvlylittlewing]

 I'd never participate.    I've worn a full face of makeup for as long as I can remember, and I'm sure I'll never stop.  I wear foundation, sometimes blush, lipstick, mascara and several shades of eye shadow every day.  Black eyeliner is a must!  I wear a full face of make-up even when I'm staying home.  I don't do it for others, I do it for myself.  I'm even considering having false lashes applied, cause I can never get the hang of applying them.  My nails are the envy of all my friends.  I've worn my long, natural nails since middle school, and as I do a better job on them than the salons, I don't pay for mani-pedis.  I guess I'm just a high maintenance girly girl.  I take after my grandmother who was a great beauty and took pains with her appearance.  Furthermore, my mom, also a stunning beauty in her day,  says she "marked" me in the womb: she never left the mirror when she was pregnant with me, and she is convinced that her attention to her beauty is what caused my obsession with my appearance.  I no longer go to the salon to have my hair done, just because I refuse to pay those prices.  When I'm in the mood I'll have my daughter braid my hair, and that process,  just for basic "singles" can take upwards of 8 hours.

I don't mind other women deciding differently for themselves (should go without saying) but I've always rejected the mindset that women have to go through all these additional efforts in order to be "acceptable" in social and professional situations.

Okay, my sister once asked me to go a week without the makeup and nail polish.  I looked at her as though she just grew another head.  I respect other women in their decision to participate, and I don't fault others for going the natural route.  I love make-up!  I'm going to go out to Sephora in about an hour to pick up a few new lipstick colors and try a new shade of eye pencil.  I can apply a full face of "paint" in less than 5 minutes.  I have it down to a science.  To me looking good and feeling good is fun.  I like the compliments I receive on my appearance almost on a daily basis.  In October, when I returned to work after my second abdominal surgery, my boss ( who is also a girly girl) told me, "Marie, you may have been laid up for weeks, but you sure do look good!"

If I sound vain and shallow, I'm not really!  

[milomorris]

I am totally in agreement with this. One of the things that I find so negative about the mainstream gay culture is the emphasis on looks--fashion in particular. I rejected "pretty boy" aesthetics a long time ago in favor of "average Joe." Part of the reason was that I just couldn't take the pressure any more. Another part of the reason I stopped trying to look "hot" was the fact that I would get hit on by the kinds of guys I really liked on nights when I didn't shave, shower, pop my contacts in, or do my hair. I discovered that I was more desirable to the down-to-earth guys when I wore jeans, a t-shirt, work boots, and a baseball cap. On the other hand, my "over-produced" look would catch the eye of guys that had little more to offer me than sex.

Why? I think it was a matter of having a look that genuinely fit me as a person. My "over-produced" look was certainly aesthetically pleasing, but it didn't really represent who I was inside. So when I was sincere about my appearance, I attracted people who were sincere.

Now does that mean that anybody who gets all fancied up is insincere? Certainly not. Some people, as Littlewing points out, are at home with a produced look. Glamor suits them, and makes sense for them personally.

I think its great for girls and women to break out of the aesthetic molds that other women, the media, and some men have defined for them. And I know for a fact that there are guys out there who prefer "plain Jane." I have a few female friends who fall into that category, and they married remarkable men. Happy couples all around.

[milomorris]

A lot of the women in my Meeting don't shave (think Simplicity Testimony) or wear much if any makeup.

Totally off-topic: are you a Quaker or something? I'm just curious. There are tons of them here in Pennsylvania. Almost all of the old Underground Railroad stops here were run by Quakers.

[Lynne]

Totally off-topic: are you a Quaker or something? I'm just curious. There are tons of them here in Pennsylvania. Almost all of the old Underground Railroad stops here were run by Quakers.

Not really, Milo. I call myself a Quaker-in-Training, but I don't know that I will ever embrace it fully. Liberal Quakers do seem to be as close to an organized religion as I can personally feel OK about. There is an unprogrammed Meeting here I attend with some regularity and have done so for a couple of years.  I have made some good friends there.

[milomorris]

Not really, Milo. I call myself a Quaker-in-Training, but I don't know that I will ever embrace it fully. Liberal Quakers do seem to be as close to an organized religion as I can personally feel OK about. There is an unprogrammed Meeting here I attend with some regularity and have done so for a couple of years.  I have made some good friends there.

Interesting. I'm just the opposite...Quakers don't offer enough structure for my taste. LOL!!

But they do have a quite good reputation and history.

[ifyoucantfixit]

   


     I only started to wear make up and such when I was about 24 o25 yrs old.  I didn't really feel the need for it, until then.  I have always been blessed with a nice rosy complexion, and no real blemishes to have to cover.  I did wear a light shade of lipstick and mascara however.    I was working in
Las Vegas and was required to have a (costume,) and needed to look as one would expect for a person representing the casino.  I was a camera girl, and took pictures of people on the casino floor.  I had to feel that I was presented as the other girls were, and started to go to the hairdresser,  once a week.  I had always been very specific about that, for my whole life, (keeping my hair, just so,), and then applied all the appropriate makeup as well. 
     After a long time of doing that, I got so used to not having a plain face, that I would not even go to the supermarket without it.  I did that for at least fifteen years.  Finally one day, I just got tired of the daily cleansing, and moisturizing, and makeup applying, and just decided to slow it down.  I had what I chose to call, "no makeup Monday."   I just ducked my head and went out.  Wherever I had to go, I just went.  I felt like an addict just trying to make it through one day a week without it.  It took some time, and I finally had gotten to the point where I could go for most days without it, and just used, when I was going out for a lunch or evening, or some other type meeting place.  I have finally given it up all together, except for times when I have to see people I know, who are also going to be nicely presented.  I have gotten to the point where, it takes so much longer to do it, because of the eyes not being as they were.  It just seems that I went from doing it in no more than ten minutes, to a half hour and that is just too much of an effort anymore.  I suppose, I could be considered lazy, but I really have gotten to the point where, I don't much care what others think, about that.  I do it for myself.  My husband could care less.  He is fine with me bald faced.
     I will never give up the shaving however.  i have done it since I was about twelve, and I continue to do it now.  If I do not do it, my legs itch so badly, when they start to get grown out.   I just have to get out of bed in the middle of the nght to shave them, if it  starts to bother me.  I have not worn nylons or high heels for many many years now.  I think they are so bad for your spine, and even though they make your legs look good, its just not worth the bunions and callouses that I have seen on so many even young womens feet.  I am strictly a flats kinda gal.  No foot surgery for me, thank you very much.

[Berit]

I can only see with one eye. Born this way. So when I started to use makeup in my teens I had one perfect eye and one total mess! so I gave up with makeup. I never ever try now. No lipstic, just deodorant, some perfume (perfume is a must but just a little) and off I go!

Hair, hm. Never shaved a leg or an armpit, never had enough to bother. BUT after menopause I have started a mustash.....don't really like that so now I'm shaving my face....and it gets more......I'll look like Santa when I'm 80! 

[Mandy21]

This is an interesting topic that really got me thinking.  I've never been a girly girl at all.  At 46, I still don't really know how to apply a full face (concealer, foundation, blush, mascara, liner, shadow, lipstick) properly, and styling (if you can call it that) my hair has always been a battle of wills between my mind, and the mind of its own that it seems to grow on any given day.  I would only put on the full face and hair treatment for the times that I'm seeing a friend or acquaintance in public, or when I'm going out on a date with a guy, or for a job interview.  That's it.  All the rest of the time, whether I'm alone at home, or popping up to the library or grocery store or pharmacist, I don't bother with a bit of it.  In fact, they know my "naked" face, haphazard hair, and comfy oversized clothes so well that on the rare occasions I have to stop by one of those places on the way to or from a date, and they see me all dolled up and wearing nice clothes and jewelry, their jaws drop to the ground.  Not because I'm a stunner by any means, mind you, but just because they're a little shocked that I "clean up" so well.  At those times, when I look closely in their eyes, I swear I can see a thought behind them that says to them, "if she can make herself look that nice, why doesn't she do it ALL the time?".  And that kinda irks me.  The reason being, and I think Milo said it perfectly, because THAT doesn't define who I, as a person, am. 
 

Why? I think it was a matter of having a look that genuinely fit me as a person. My "over-produced" look was certainly aesthetically pleasing, but it didn't really represent who I was inside. So when I was sincere about my appearance, I attracted people who were sincere.

If people are more pleased or more comfortable looking at me / spending time with me when I'm, in my mind, basically wearing a mask, then those people aren't really seeing ME, just as I am, flaws and all, inside and out.  If they need a pretty and pleasing exterior, just how fast are they going to run when they get a good look at my interior?

Thanks for posting the article, Chrissie.  I'm going to think twice now before reaching for that lipstick.