Informative Essay on Makeup

There have been some rapid improvements in makeup over several decades. The first lipstick was invented during the Ancient Egyptian era (Edmonds, 2020). A modern lipstick was introduced in 1923 as Mason improved the formula (Sengupta, 2019). As a result, many women began applying extensive makeup, especially women who work as sales, stewardesses, or marketer in order to look attractive. For instance, Singapore Airlines requires its female cabin crews to put red lipstick, black eyebrows, and mascara on (Ha, 2017). Besides, influencers nowadays play an essential role in introducing new trends in makeup industry as they get paid partnerships with different makeup firms. As an illustration, both bright orange lips and schoolboy brows makeup reached its peak in 2014 after Huda Beauty introduced its new lipstick and brow powders (March, 2014). However, women should not apply makeup due to various reasons. First, makeup increases a woman’s financial burden. Second, makeup firms promote cruelty through animal testing. Third, women with makeup are more likely to be insecure. Fourth, women suffer from health problems caused by the usage of makeup.

Primarily, makeup adds a woman’s financial burden. According to Bowsher (2020), “The global average that women spend on makeup is $300,000”. Apart from that, women will spend more money to visit a dermatologist as they encounter several skin problems caused by using makeup, ranging from an allergic reaction to acne. The worldwide average cost to visit a dermatologist is $200 (Harth, 2019). Apart from the dermatologist fees, those women need to receive some treatments in order to remove scars caused by using makeup. It will cost approximately $1,550 in one visit (Cobb, 2019). In reality, women need to be involved in 10 sessions costing $15,500 (Palmer, 2018). The average of women's annual salary worldwide is $44,800 (Olsen, 2019). Women’s salary will remain unchanged as companies are less likely to attain a raise (Thorpe, 2017). In other words, it connotes that women merely earn $582,400 in their lifetime because women on average merely work for 13 years (Campbell, 2017). Even $600,000 alone is not enough because women might face some unwanted conditions that force them to allocate much money (Hagen, 2019). In other words, makeup will add women’s financial burden as makeup becomes another outlet of expenditures on them.

Furthermore, makeup firms treat animals arbitrarily by testing their products to animals. As a piece of evidence, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, monkeys, and dogs are widely used to become victims in this practice. (“Which Animals Are Used in Cosmetics Tests?”, 2020). Guinea pigs’ sensitive skin will be rubbed with several makeup products before they are killed by laboratory staff. Meanwhile, rabbits are put in the laboratory with excessive lighting, which is contrast from the burrow, their natural habitat. Another torture can be found in rabbits as rabbit’s fur is shaved roughly until its skin becomes swollen before the makeup is applied to its tiny body (Humane Society International, 2013). The cruelty against rabbit does not stop here as a pregnant rabbit is not an exception to be tested. As a result, the test has killed those unborn bunnies. In other words, women support this animal testing if they use makeup. Therefore, women can stop this testing by not applying makeup.

Moreover, women with makeup have a higher chance of being insecure. Makeup firms advertise their makeup products by using both attractive models and sales promotion girls who polish their faces with makeup in order to make women purchase cosmetics. As a result, women put pressure on themselves because they incline to feel ugly after comparing themselves with those models and sales promotion girls. A research conducted by Brown (2020) remarked that, “Women who feel ugly is one of the signs that they are insecure with their look”. Celebrities are not the exception, as many of them are inevitably facing this issue. As an illustration, Kim Kardashian never wants her husband to see her without any makeup, although society agrees that she has a beautiful bare face (Hou, 2016). Apart from that, women with makeup have a slight probability of having children as the usage of makeup decreases the probability of getting pregnant (Ani, 2018). Therefore, women with makeup who face this infertility problem are most likely to feel insecure because women are considered as perfect merely if they can get pregnant (Harris, 2015).

Ultimately, women with makeup will encounter various health problems. To illustrate, women who apply multiple layers of fake eyelashes cannot wink. Consequently, women produce fewer tears, which increases the probability of getting an eye infection (Krucik, 2016). Hence, women with makeup start substituting fake eyelashes with mascara. In fact, the usage of mascara also has negative effects as it causes conjunctivitis, as well as other eye diseases (Sullivan, 2017). Besides, women who apply makeup expose themselves to individual chemicals because paraben in cosmetics triggers the growth of cancer cells that kills them gradually (Greenhauf, 2016). Additionally, women who do the morning makeup routine face a sleep deprivation problem, which weakens their immune system (Kingston, 2018).

Despite the disadvantages, some people believe that makeup is detrimental to women’s wellbeing as various makeup brands launch organic cosmetics products; therefore, women can put makeup on their faces. Indeed, organic makeup products are necessary better as women will not get exposure from the chemical ingredients. However, this argument is debunked as an investigation by Health Sciences Authority Singapore pointed out that makeup firms put on some respective toxic ingredients in their organic products to extend the expiration date (Huiwen, 2018). Therefore, Singapore has been halting all cosmetics products since that investigation. Besides, business ethics reveals that makeup firms are not necessary to list all the chemical ingredients in their products for marketing purposes (Switalski, 2014). In other words, it connotes that makeup firms merely include the safe chemical ingredients, although in everyday usage it will evoke a harmful effect. Therefore, there are no safe chemical ingredients at all.

To sum up, women should not apply makeup because women with makeup will encounter several problems. First, it places a financial burden on women. Second, makeup firms enable cruelty because they test their products to animals. Third, women with makeup incline to feel insecure with their bare face look. Last, makeup leads to several health issues. All women possess beauty in different ways as the beauty standard is shifting nowadays. In the past, society considered ugly women if they have slanted eyes. Today, women with monolid eyes are not covering their eyes with makeup as society accepts the fact that they are beautiful as well as women who have a crease in their eyelids. Thus, women can be captivating without any makeup, although they possess different facial characteristics. They merely need to plunge their head and reveal to the world that all women can conquer the same beauty without any makeup.

References

Ani. (2018, January 21). Love cosmetics? Beware, they may cause infertility, problems in pregnancy. Retrieved from https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/love-cosmetics-beware-they-may-cause-infertility-problems-in-pregnancy-118012100094_1.html

Bowsher, A. (2020, April 24). The amount of money the average woman spends on makeup might shock you. Retrieved from https://www.theloop.ca/amount-money-average-woman-spends-makeup-might-shock/

Brown, L. (2020, March 29). How to cope with being ugly: 12 honest tips to remember. Retrieved from https://hackspirit.com/how-to-cope-with-being-ugly/

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