Is make-up good or bad for body image?

Do you enjoy wearing make-up? Does it help you feel more body confident?

One of the questions I’m often asked is whether wearing make-up is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for body image.

The simple answer is that I believe everyone has the right to do what they want with their body, including wearing make-up!

That said, I do think that it’s important to look at the WAY you are using it and consider if that’s healthy for YOUR body-image.

Today I’m sharing how you can tell if you are using cosmetics in way that is harmless or harmful to your body image.

Watch or read below:

Body image and cosmetics

Choosing whether to wear make-up is a completely individual preference.  In itself, cosmetics aren’t a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ thing.

I believe that it’s the motivation behind the choice that has an impact on body image.

Why do you wear make-up?

If you believe that you can’t leave the house without your face on because your appearance is unacceptable, this is an ‘appearance fixing’ behaviour that will fuel poor body image.

However, if you like wearing make-up but don’t see it as necessary to fix your appearance, it’s a completely natural and harmless way to feel good.

I went through a period of my life when I wouldn’t go out without foundation.  I did this because I believed my skin wasn’t acceptable. This behaviour fueled an obsession with my skin.

Today, I regularly go out of the house without my face on. I don’t always feel 100% comfortable doing this, but I don’t want to obsess about my skin again, and worsen my body image.

Make-up marketing

When thinking about the impact make-up has on body confidence, consideration also has to be given to the way in which it’s marketed.

Products that rely on making women feel inadequate or flawed to make a sale won’t help your body confidence.

If you ever feel compelled to buy a product because you think your appearance needs to be fixed, I’d advise you not to! Each time you give into this sort of marketing tactic, it takes a chink out of your body confidence.

I wrote about my own personal experience of being on the receiving end of marketing tactics designed to play on poor body image, which you can read here.

That’s my take on how wearing make-up impacts on body image, which I hope you find useful.

I’d love to know about your experiences of wearing make-up.  How does it make you feel about your appearance? Please leave me a comment below.