CWS: Why God Gave Woman the Rearview Mirror

By Becky Kénaan

Okay ladies...admit it!  - Women have a complicated relationship with makeup. It is the focus of our lives each and everyday! On the way to work, the rear view mirror is NOT intended for traffic use - It is there to make sure we have our eyes done perfectly right before heading into the office! Do you Boys carry around (daily in your possession) a cosmetic bag full of the necessities in life?  Well? 

Getting Ready for My Date

I read an interesting article the other day about cosmetics and that your face is your canvas..  That got me thinking...Just why is that? I wonder why we wear make-up? Love it or hate it, women have been using makeup, in different forms, for a very long time. In the animal world, female species pronounce their sexual availability and charm through physical signals and pheromones. Why these wild women (no pun intended) make it very well known to the guys (that they're interested in) that they are ready and able to get it on and have some great looking babies! We boring human beings seemingly lack these erotic signals, making it almost impossible to tell a man that we are fertile. 

Well, I believe that our makeup (if correctly done) is one such device! Because makeup works as a way of exaggerating our natural given looks of youth, sensuousness, fertility and sexual availability... In other words it makes us  seem more appealing... AND it works because it's a darn good lie!! HAHA!

The Mystery Behind the Veil of Makeup

Did you know that in the sixth century women in fashion made their faces more pale by bleeding themselves, either directly or with the help of leeches. Ewww!  Why even during the Italian Renaissance period, women coated their faces with toxic chemicals including arsenic, lead and mercury.  All that to paint the mystery of enchantment and allurement?  And for a man I ask you? I hope that he was worth it! 

My God!  Did you also know that in the 19th Century tuberculosis was considered a "romantic" disease? During that era women emphasized the circles under their eyes and used rouge to look flushed with fever. That is certainly one method to express your burning passionate desire!  I guess that is where the term "Drop Dead Gorgeous" originated!  HA!

I Spoke to My Mummy Just the Other Day

So when did people first start using makeup? No one is quite really sure. Archeologists have recorded the use of makeup dating back to the Ancient Egyptian and Sumerians as far back as around 3500 BC. They used soot and other natural ingredients to paint their faces, and even had specialized tools to apply their makeup. Before that...who knows? ....Maybe Adam was getting bored with Eve? HA!

Looking at all of the diverse cultures we have on this planet, it is easy to recognize that, although makeup is used differently across the cultural plains and eras, a pattern still remains - Makeup is and shall forever be one of the tools in making us feel more beautiful, no matter if you're a doll-like Japanese Geisha, an Ancient Egyptian or a modern western woman looking for Mr. Right on your Saturday night out. It is certainly within each of us to maintain our youthful features - and the exaggeration of our female characteristics and form can be found in almost every culture, both past and present. 

Seriously speaking, your eye makeup and lipstick can synergistically work well together if done correctly.  Women tend to be naturally darker around their eyes and mouths than men of the same skin tone. Women use cosmetics to darken the eyes and lips to make their face appear more feminine to differentiate their sex differences with a man. 

Becky with "Natural Look" Cosmetics

Personally speaking, I prefer the "Natural Look" ... and for me, imperfection is a form of one's individuality. I deliberately try to understate my makeup on my Avi unless of course there is a special event or style that mandates a specific appearance.

In RL when I get up in the morning to do my face, I do see those little vertical crevasses on my lower lip and I also see those disappointing tiny crow's feet on the corners of my eyes that I quickly want to make go away! That is certainly something that we all have to live with as we get older and lose that youthful appearance. But here is SL, "Voila!" We obviously don't have that issue because the perfection in our appearances here is resoundingly timeless. That is one of the reasons I play here...LOL

What in God's Name Was She Thinking About?

In RL I will often look at someone and notice their make-up first.  Sometimes I feel almost prevented from seeing who that person actually is behind the makeup.  You might say that they seem a bit hidden to me like the wood canvas beyond the Mona Lisa. Personally I enjoy wearing makeup unless of course I fall asleep the night before (forgetting to remove my makeup), and then having to deal with my face the next morning. HA!  

So, I ask you...what does makeup do for you? Do you like its feel on your skin? .Do you feel less attractive, clean, or fashionable when not wearing makeup? Do you consider it a necessity? Or by chance do you believe that it might be something entirely different...You know...something more akin to spoiling yourself? Or is it more about how you see yourself or you think you are being seen?

Your Face As a Canvas for Art

For some here in SL Land, there are those who revel in makeup, trying on every latest trend, delighting in transforming their avi look with the click of their mouse. Others keep it simple, sticking with the bare basics and using it to complement their overall natural appearance rather than emphasize their facial features. 

Whatever you decide, it is ultimately your choice if it makes you feel better about yourself - for art is a very subjective thing and taste is certainly in the eye of the beholder.