Do Women Wear Too Much Makeup?
"Women wear too much makeup. The natural look is better."
What counts as 'too much' makeup is socially constructed and tightly rewarded. Women who wear no makeup are rated lower on competence and hirability in experimental studies. Women who wear moderate makeup are rated highest. Women who wear heavy makeup face different penalties. The 'too much makeup' framing functions to keep women in a narrow visible band; the labor cost falls entirely on them.
What the data says
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Boston University / Procter & Gamble study: faces with light-to-moderate makeup were rated more attractive, competent, trustworthy, and likable than the same faces without makeup. Heavy makeup reduced ratings on trustworthiness.
Etcoff, Stock, Haley, Vickery & House, PLOS ONE (2011) · 2011 · Experimental photo rating study
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Average American woman spends 55 minutes/day on personal grooming — roughly 30 minutes more than the average American man. Over a lifetime that's ~6 years of additional grooming labor.
BLS American Time Use Survey · 2024 · Federal time-use data
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Women spend $3,756/year on average on beauty products and services in the US; men spend ~$1,000. The gap is largely not optional — workplace expectations reward women's beauty labor measurably.
Poshmark / SkinStore consumer spending surveys (2022) · 2022 · Consumer spending surveys
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Experimental CV study: female candidates in the makeup-less photo condition were rated lower on 'professional appearance' by both male and female evaluators, affecting callback rates.
Hamermesh, 'Beauty Pays' (2011) · 2011 · Experimental hiring study
Where it came from
The 'natural beauty' ideal has a long cultural history and maps unevenly onto class, race, and context. Makeup itself has been coded female since the 19th century. The contradictory commands — 'don't wear too much,' 'look presentable' — arrive at the same target and create a narrow compliance band with significant labor cost.
What this means
Women who wear no makeup face measurable professional penalties. Women who wear 'too much' face different ones. Women wearing moderate, well-executed makeup are rewarded — which means the 'too much' complaint and the 'no effort' complaint both function to enforce a narrow grooming standard, paid for by women's time and money.
Frequently asked
Does wearing makeup actually help women professionally?
Yes — measurably. Etcoff et al. 2011 found light-to-moderate makeup raised ratings on competence and trustworthiness. Hamermesh's 'Beauty Pays' work documents the hiring-rate effect.
What's the time and money cost?
Women spend ~55 min/day on grooming (vs men's ~25 min) and ~$3,756/year on beauty products/services (vs men's ~$1,000). Over a career this is substantial.
Is the 'natural look' actually rewarded?
No. Experimental data consistently shows a floor-penalty for women appearing without any makeup in professional contexts. The 'natural look' idealized in media typically involves significant makeup skill.