For those who wear make up / fancy clothes and get nice haircut: Why and when did you decide to put up with all that? Have you ever considered not doing it?

20 comments

1. I feel good when I look good. And in my case, things don’t always have to be expensive. I don’t buy expensive clothes or accesories. But I like them to be nice quality.

2. The phrasing of this question is weird. My self-expression through fashion and beauty isn’t something I “put up with,” it’s something I enjoy and value. It’s as much a part of me as my personality traits are.

3. I used to not, but now I do because it makes me feel nice.

   Though I wouldn’t say I wear fancy clothes usually, just clean and well fitting

4. I don’t feel like I’m “putting up with it”, when I express myself through my style. It just makes me feel good when I can be happy what I see in the mirror. Granted, I definitely don’t have the energy to go all out every day, but I enjoy it when I can.

5. I wear makeup when I want to do so because I want to do so or because it is considered required/expected for the specific event and location.

   I wear fancy clothes when I want to do so because I want to do so or because it is considered required/expected for the specific event and location.

   I get a nice haircut when I want to do so because I want to do so or because it is considered required/expected for the specific event and location.

   Generally, I decide to do those things because I want to do them. Some of those things are also culturally, socially, or professionally expected due to the specific dress codes for specific locations and events. By choosing to go to those specific locations and events, I am opting in to meeting those dress codes.

   > Have you ever considered not doing it?

   Sure. If it was an appropriate occasion to abstain from those things and I didn’t want to do those things, then I chose not to do those things. It’s an active choice for me. I decide when I do want to do those things and when I don’t while still respecting the expectations and formality of the event/location.

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7. “Put up with” implies some sort of external pressure or expectation.

   What if it’s simply something enjoyable for oneself?

8. I used to believe that it’s what’s on the inside that matters.

   Unfortunately since the the pandemic, I’ve had to wear “fancy clothes” so people wouldn’t catcall me or yell racist shit (I’m Asian but not Chinese).

   I’d love to wear whatever the fuck I want, but society clearly judges you based on perceived looks/status.

9. I don’t “put up with it”. I do it because it makes me feel good. My style or aesthetic is a part of who I am. I enjoy it. It’s how I express myself.

   As a young Mum, I gave up for a while and didn’t feel like myself.

   I don’t spend a fortune though. Doesn’t have to be expensive to look good.

10. I’ve added on more beauty routines the older I get. I started dying my hair regularly when I started getting grey hair. I started using face cream when I started to get wrinkles. I started wearing makeup occasionally when I started to get bags under my eyes. I’ve always put a lot of effort into keeping in shape so that hasn’t changed. I’ve never really cared that much about clothes, but at the same time I have always put a lot of effort into maintaining my body so I do like to buy clothing that accents that.

11. I do it because I feel like myself when I do. I like to look nice and I enjoy doing it too.

    There are absolutely days where I could not care less and go without and I like those days just as much.

12. I was the girl who always put on a full face of makeup before going out, made sure my clothes coordinated and matched, my hair was decent and non greasy, I put so much emphasis in my appearance.

    Then I had a bad depressive episode. All of that went out the window bc it was just too much effort when I was trying to just shower/eat in general and make it to work.

    I haven’t gone back to that girl and it makes me sad, I see pictures of myself then and it both makes me proud to have been that ‘when you look good, you feel good’ girl and sad that the person I am now is a mere shadow of that person.

    I just can’t get back into that mindset. Sure I’ll throw on lipstick and paint my own nails here and there. But that girl really cared about how she looked and felt proud of it.

13. I think that make-up, what we wear, what our hair looks like is often an extension or manifestation of our personalities, no? It isn’t something that is always ‘put upon’ us by some external pressure. Personally, when I have my hair cut and coloured, it feels good and gives me a confidence boost – it is a bit of self care. I’m pretty sure I started wearing make-up because that is what you ‘did’ as a teenage girl in the late 90s, but I continue to wear it now because I like how I look with it on.

14. you make it sound like torture lol

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16. Putting on a nice outfit and looking like a dime is worth it to me…every time. I’m find the entire process to be very enjoyable.

17. In my home, while personal hygiene was important, dressing up and make-up was not. However, I’ve found that I feel more powerful when I feel good about how I look. And as a woman in engineering, I need to feel powerful a lot.

18. idk, it was something that was always installed in me to do but now i just love looking good and it feels weird not pampering myself. i look at it as basic hygiene.

19. I do those things when I want to, and find them amusing and empowering. I get to practice a hobby (makeup) that makes me feel more confident!

    But there are also many days when I sleep in, put on my comfortable clothes, and skip the makeup.

20. If I’m not satisfied with how I look I feel sad and if I’m sad, I get cranky. Therefore I’m doing the universe a service by trying to look presentable.