Hi friend, today I'm thinking about makeup as art and camouflage.
It is of course true that your face is perfect and precious, with or without makeup, but that truth also doesn't encompass the myriad and complex reasons we change our appearances. It even lends itself to facile "so ditch the makeup, sister!" slogans that are just as irritating as they are unhelpful.
I stopped wearing makeup on a regular basis when I started seriously considering who I was trying to impress. As in, the actual specific human beings I was encountering, and whether I cared enough about their opinion to devote a chunk of my day to ensuring I was acceptably pretty.
I still wear makeup in cases where not doing so could harm me professionally (when working in an office, or a videoconference with an executive), or I need a confidence boost, or I want to blend in, or just on days I feel like it. But the grocery store cashier will be just fine if I pass through their line without my pretty face on.
That said, I live with an enormous amount of privilege in my white, self-employed, relatively-unblemished, 39-year-old skin without deep wrinkles or marks. Here in Seattle, I might not be treated as well when I go out without makeup as I might with a full face of it on, but between this geographic area and my privilege, a lack of makeup is likely to be seen as a personal quirk and that's about it.
So of course there's a deep survival element to wearing makeup, especially for trans women and other folks for whom blending in is vital.
And in addition, many, many people consider makeup to be a source of artistic expression and of empowerment. It's impossible to untangle these threads, and I think it's less important to try than to acknowledge the complexity and let each person figure out their own level of comfort.
Whenever someone who prefers a feminine appearance books a photography session with me, makeup seems to be one of the largest sources of anxiety. Should I have my hair and makeup done? Should I do it myself? What if I don't look like myself? What if I don't like it?
I used to require that clients have hair and makeup done for boudoir sessions, purely because boudoir is one of the most stylized types of portrait photography, and I didn't want anyone to be disappointed by not having it done and then not matching the "look" they desired in the final images.
I've relaxed that rule lately, and no longer include that service in session packages (though of course it can be easily added on), because so many of my clients these days are interested in an exploration of what their bodies look like without additional layers of artifice. It really comes down to this:
No matter what kind of session you’re booking, consider how you want to see yourself in images. Is a made-up look something you enjoy on yourself? Are you envisioning a highly-styled, dramatic look for your session? Then you’ll want makeup and hair done.
If you never wear makeup, feel like it would change how you appear more than you’re comfortable with, or want to explore how your body appears with a completely natural appearance, then feel free to skip it.
Warmly,
Lindley
(Want to share this week's thought? It exists in blog post form here.)
My favorite photo this week:
