Body posi vs. Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual

I have this book. Sometimes, I want to try out the makeup tutorials in it, but then I remember I am bad at art and can't blend. Seriously, during tech for a show, the set designer tried to teach me to blend clouds for the backdrop. I was very speedily put back on "paint things black" duty.

But in addition to just having little patience and little skill, I realized one day that this book sort of bugged me. Starting with the cover:



So I decided to deal with my annoyance by sticking contrary post-its all throughout the book. See that circle on the cover? It says, "Celebrating 20 years of making women beautiful." My response: Women are already beautiful.

There's a two-page spread devoted to six different kinds of makeup bags: home, everyday, evening, in your desk drawer, for travel, in your gym bag. Let me repeat that: Makeup in your gym bag. Sweetie, if I manage to go to the gym, the last thing I'm concerned with is putting on a perfect face afterwards. You just increased your chances of zombie apocalypse survival. Who cares what your face looks like?

The tool guide, including an inordinate amount of brushes. First of all, when I buy tools, I want to buy pens, notebooks, screwguns. Second, Your worth is not determined by how much stuff you own.

Section entitled: Care and Maintenance of Tools. Care for self and others is what matters. Stuff is transitory.

Chapter 4: Face. A great face is your face, whatever that is. 

Section: Preparing your face for makeup. Steps include analyzing the type and condition of your face, deciding on products, selecting various shades. My steps include, 1) Ask yourself: Does this make me happy? 2) Proceed if it does. Don't if it doesn't.

The next section is concealers and correctors. Now, I know the benefit of covering up that zit that just won't die. I get it. Zits are the worst. But treating your whole face as though it needs to be concealed/evened/corrected? Nah. You are too beautiful and worthwhile to conceal. Your face needs no correction, it is good as-is. 

Foundation: Beauty starts with loving yourself.

Now, of course, YMMV. If you love makeup, great. Buy this book and be free. Paint your face and line your lips and have a grand ol' time. But for me, the makeup manual has become a symbol of things that I'm trying let go of: materialism and consumerism, obsession with appearance and general vanity, teaching women that they're only worth what they look like.

Makeup is not evil. It is not bad or wrong. It can be a powerful tool of expression and self. But it is not the only thing that matters, nor necessarily the most important.

And thus concludes my mini-rant.

xo,
Devo