YES!!! And if you've ever seen those OF top 1% posters who say things like oh I made 10,000 in my first month- that's because there is a literal promotion where if someone signs up with your code you make money off that. It's wildly irresponsible pyramid scheme- only so many people can have success on OF- and mostly you need to already have a loyal audience.
I don't feel that makeup is all that empowering. It's mostly just capitalism trying to sell makeup to women without losing its increasingly feminist customer base by reframing it as empowering rather than objectifying.
All makeup even just your regular 'natural-looking' stuff? I mean, I guess in that specific case, yeah.
I hate wearing it personally but I feel pressure to live up to the idea of feminity which I hate for obvious enby reasons. It feels like a form of control "look this way that you don't want to or you're not a real woman." Like, growing up people were genuinely surprised that a girl didn't like makeup, and assumed I was trying to be "not like other girls" so I guess I just associate it with people trying to make me into something I'm not and then treating me like I'm not valid for not meeting those standards (that I don't want to meet in the first place but people assume I do because woman)
I guess one person's disempowerment can be another person's empowerment? I guess the important thing is for everyone to have a choice and to not be pressured by other peoples standards. If it makes you feel strong then don't let me shame you for it.
I think maybe wearing makeup does not have to be feminist for people to do it. It can be a neutral action! Wearing like traditionally feminine clothes for example isn't feminist or not feminist it's just personal preference. Or you can even wear make-up, enjoy the art-form and do creative looks for example but the average person isn't doing MUA work or SFX makeup to go to school/work- they are just participating in anti-aging, concealer, enhancement stuff. That's fine but not truly feminist- same with sex-work. The exploitation inherent in the sex industry is everywhere- it's not because it's sex work it's just all work requires exploitation and sex work is more stigmatized and underground so people are more easily abused/harmed.
Man, I feel you. I think another problem is the commodification of this type of liberal feminism. I remember one time seeing a perfume called "Damn Rebel Witches", and it was selling itself as this totally ethical, feminist perfume. And a part of me immediately wanted it, even though I don't wear perfume, but just for the hashtag aesthetics. You often see it with makeup too: forget trying to work out your feelings about the social conditioning towards makeup, just slap a "Strong Sufragette Eyeshadow!!" sticker on it and call it a day.
Idk if you've ever read the manifesto Feminism for the 99% - it touches on a lot of the same points you have. It didn't really teach me anything new but it was neat to see the same dissatisfaction with liberal feminism laid out so neatly.
Exactly! It is seductive to a certain extent. It feels like an easy-fix even sometimes to just commodify and sell itand make it aesthetic and cool or appealing. It reminds me of the #WineMom thing were women are feeling truly stressed and overwhelmed with raising children and commiserate over it but instead of looking to solve the burnout issue or talk seriously about substance abuse being a slippery slope they like- put quotes on oversized wine glasses. You can't be mad at them really but it just misses the mark. It's easier in the same way to just wear makeup and not think about it- just call it self-expression and move on.
I haven't! I will google it and add it to the reading list though- I've been dying for a new mainstream alternative to Lib Feminism.
Agreed once again. Tbh I wish leftists tried harder to reach out to liberal feminists. I think a lot of young women become more politically active/aware via feminism, and it really sucks that liberal feminism is often considered to be the only strand out there. I certainly didn't know Marxist feminism was a thing when I was younger. Even when I felt dissatisfied with "mainstream" feminism I just stuck to it because to me it seemed the two main sides were yaygirlboss vs the redpill scum.
Btw re reading - Feminism for the 99% is published by Verso, a leftwing publishing house. They have a lot of other books on gender and feminism, all explicitly from a leftwing pov. I haven't checked out too many yet, but it's cool to browse through their section.
We need to build the Ex-Tumblr girl to Left pipeline because not only are young liberal feminists super prime for radicalization- the values are mostly the same- they are just mildly brainwashed by consumerism and sometimes a little too discourse-y. I was def a liberal feminist like even a year and a half ago- and I would have been left I just had not been exposed to it yet! Yeah- the alternate to not being a lib feminist felt like being a weird pro-life type or a pick-me girl. I also think liberal feminists shifted in the culture in a important way honestly for all the blame they get for stuff lol. They really made online social activism both popular and acceptable. Even like the resurgence of the word "problematic" was because of a lib-fem tumblr blog.
Verso's gender and feminism books- I will keep that in mind!! I'm hoping to read a lot in whatever stage of New Years lockdown we are in lol.
