#ConfidentEitherWay – How Makeup Affects Mental Health | Marie-Pascale Lafrenière | TEDxECUAD

0:00 Translator: Marie-Pascale Lafrenière Reviewer: Rhonda Jacobs I have a question for you all. By applause, who is wearing makeup today? (Applause) Great. What I really want to know though is, who do you wear makeup for? It may sound like a simple question, but the implications are greater than what you could expect. Do you wear makeup to seduce your love interest or partner? Do you wear it to conform with your friend circle or to impress your entourage? Do you wear makeup because it is required by your employer?

0:47 Or do you simply wear it for yourself? Of course, there is no simple answer. But chances are that you are wearing makeup as a tool for self-advertisement. This concept originates from the objectification of self-identifying women. Often reduced to their appearance, they play the role of accessories or commodities to complement self-identifying men. This has been going on for so long that women now feel the need to self-advertise: to promote themselves by embellishing their physical features, especially by wearing makeup. That way, they can attract customers whom can be potential partners, future bosses, or new friends,

1:37 while remaining competitive to other products, or women, on the market. In that case, it can be a dating app, the job market, or any public space. I know this may sound ridiculous, but a lot of people, including myself, feel or have felt the pressure of this system at some point. In fact, it can have major consequences on your mental health. The first traces of makeup were found in Ancient Egypt, as people of all gender were wearing makeup for various purposes. Khol would be applied around the eyes to deflect the sun in the desert. It was also believed to ward off the Evil Eye.

2:23 Makeup was also used to enhance the physical differences between men and women. For example, as women tend to have darker lips than men, they would enhance their color with pigment. It was a way to recall sexual arousal and fertility. Basically, makeup was used to promote one's availability for baby-making! (Laughter) The situation was similar in Ancient Greece as flushed cheeks came in style for both genders. It was once again a way to recall fertility but also good health - a great way to attract potential partners. The situation changed a little during the Middle Ages.

3:08 In fact, until the 20th Century, makeup was used to differentiate class and social status. Lower class women and sex workers would use dark colors on both eyes and lips, mimicking signs of sexual arousal and attracting literal customers! Higher class women, and some men, would use ceruse powder to get a very fair complexion. That way, they could differentiate themselves from the lower classes who got a darker skin tone from working outside. Fair skin was also believed to be a sign of good health, which is ironic as ceruse was made out of lead powder (Laughter) known to provoke muscle paralysis and premature death.

3:58 During the last century, self-identifying men rarely wore makeup outside of show business. In fact, they would be shamed for using anything related to ladies fashion because women were believed to be the weaker sex. Of course, we still feel reminiscences of this ideology today. For women, trends started varying faster with the growth and globalization of the cosmetics industry. It has also been made more accessible than ever allowing people of all ages and classes to wear makeup. Towards the end of the century, subcultures started appropriating makeup as a tool for self-expression. Today, makeup has a great presence on social media.

4:45 Any amateur fashion-lover, influencer, makeup artist can promote brands and trends on YouTube and Instagram. The availability of tutorials online also permits a more democratic use of makeup. We can observe a resurgence of self-identifying men using makeup on a daily basis. In fact, makeup is more and more used by people of all gender expression for empowerment, especially for sexual minorities. With all these amazing changes, there are more and more concerns around the use of makeup. People start worrying about the sexualization of children, the environmental print of cosmetics,

5:32 as well as the effects on physical and mental health of an everyday use. Having myself struggled with mental illness, I believe it is essential to be aware of the implications of makeup to use it in a positive and healthy way. First of all, makeup can be problematic when marketed to young children. Right now, not only can you buy cosmetics for kids in Arden and Toys "R" Us, you can also find a large variety of tutorials for them on YouTube. My problem with that is when it goes out of the realm of play. Remembering that makeup has a history of mimicking signs of sexual arousal

6:19 and being a tool of seduction, what is the meaning of that when applied to a five-year-old? Unfortunately, it can lead to an early sexualization of children, who get concerned with beauty and seduction at an earlier age than ever before. This can have major consequences on the development of identity. According to researcher and pediatrist Leonard Sax, a child that is worried about beauty at eight years old often grows into a teenager defining themselves solely in terms of how they look. This poor sense of self is linked to a low self-worth and a fragile self-confidence that can be shattered as soon as the looks fail to meet the expectations.

7:07 A poor sense of self also makes an individual more vulnerable to mental illnesses such as eating disorders, depression, and anxiety. My second concern with the use of makeup stands in its promotion of conformity. Despite the large variety of brands and products available on the market today, social media and mass media still seem to advertise the same ideal of beauty, which is far too often white, thin, cisgendered, able-bodied, and overly sexual. This is also amplified by the use of filters and self-enhancing apps aiming towards the same perfect appearance.

7:53 Makeup artists using these strategies in tutorials make this beauty ideal appear more attainable than ever, which only highers the expectations of makeup users. This already happened before social media, but the situation got worse in the last few years. The #StatusOfMind survey, published last year by the United Kingdom's Royal Society for [Public] Health, states that Instagram is the worst app for mental health because of its links with body image and bullying. It has been reported to induce feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and despair, as well as to lower the self-esteem of its users more than any other app.

8:40 It is no surprise though, the race for likes is in close relation with the need for acceptance, and a lot of people's self-worth depend on it. Overall, the impossibility of reaching the beauty ideal set by makeup artists on social media is a direct threat to self-confidence and mental well-being. A third danger of makeup is when it is used as a way of hiding. In the first place, an individual who feels the need to hide a part of their face with makeup is probably ashamed of their appearance. This makes me incredibly sad because I don't think there can be anything wrong with any human's face.

9:25 Unfortunately though, cosmetics companies have been relying on women's insecurities for years to sell them more and more products. As a result, way too many people I know don't even dare stepping out of their house without makeup. As if any natural phenomenon appearing on women's bodies needed to be hidden for them to feel desired and loved. When used out of shame, makeup can become addictive and be an obstacle in the everyday life. In fact, this physical perfectionism has been proven to be linked with destructive behaviors in teenagers such as substance addiction, eating disorders, and self-harm.

10:13 What is very important to me, though, is a healthy use of makeup. Use it to celebrate who you are instead of trying to hide what you look like because, indeed, who you are is so much more important than what you look like. Use it for fun; makeup can be a social experience! Talk about it with your friends and encourage companies that have a positive impact. For example, the organization Look Good Feel Better offers makeup workshops for cancer patients to help them regain confidence. The new cosmetics company Fenty celebrates women of all skin tones and challenges the industry's status quo by offering the largest range of foundation colors ever.

11:01 The #NoMakeup movement encourages women and celebrities to "dare to bare" to demystify natural beauty. So here is what we are going to do: to promote a healthy use of makeup, let's start our own social media challenge. Take two selfies, one with and one without makeup, share them on social media with the hashtag #ConfidentEitherWay, and tell us why you feel confident with or without makeup. In fact, the event co-organizer Nani and myself have already shared ours. So join us and be a part of the movement! (Cheers) (Applause)