Lynn Carol Miller from Northern Illinois University and Cathryn Leigh Cox from the University of Texas at Austin completed a study they titled; "For Appearances Sake: Public Self-Consciousness and Makeup Use".
Their study looked at how women perceived themselves in public, and the connection with women using makeup. The purpose of the study wasn't to look at if women who wore makeup were perceived as more attractive, but how women assumed they looked to the public, and in turn how it affected them as individuals.
They interviewed undergraduate women, and gave them tests on their public self-consciousness, and accumulating data to see who was more aware of themselves in public and who wasn't. They also photographed a Polaroid of each woman, to show to a control group of women outside the group taking the text.
What they determined is that the women who were more conscious of their appearance in public, tended to put on more makeup. Additionally, the outside group rated the photographs of women, rating them for the self confidence they perceived them to have.
More importantly, they asked the women in the study to rate how they felt themselves when they were wearing makeup.
The last measure was a self-report of attitudes and feelings about makeup. It consisted on seven items: (1) I feel that makeup enhances my appearance. (2) I am more self-confident when I wear makeup. (3) I am more outgoing when I wear makeup. (4) People react more positively to me when I wear makeup. (5) Men pay more attention to me when I wear makeup. (6) I flirt more when I'm wearing makeup. (7) I feel my interactions with others go more smoothly when I'm wearing makeup. (Cox and Miller, 6)
The women who rated the photographs tended to determine the women with certain amounts of makeup as having more confidence than the women who did not wear makeup. Additionally, the individuals who completed the study gave information that the makeup-wearing women felt their social interactions were improved while wearing cosmetics.
This seemed to be a combination of a few factors;
-People tend to be attracted more to people with higher self-confidence.
-The women who liked to wear makeup felt that they had improved their general appearance through the use of cosmetics.
- The women who were aware of how others would perceive them, felt it was important to look and feel good about themselves.
The photographs of the women ended up informing others with an idea of how the subjects viewed themselves.
I understand this concept, as I've been reading a lot about women in the workplace and the pressures to be wearing makeup. I also understand it personally, as I've had people treat me differently outside the home when I do not wear makeup.
What I've concluded is, is that cosmetics have always been used for this purpose. Whether it was herbal face creams and perfumed waters, or a tube of lipstick, throughout history people have been trying to improve their appearances to 1) make them feel better about their appearance, and 2) have others regard them and respect them.
Do I think we have grown more accustomed to seeing people with more makeup over time? Yes, I believe that's inevitable since the industry and media has grown exponentially, and our society reflects that.
What I do think has been around since the beginning of time, is how people judge a book by it's cover. I think humans need to identify things/places/people in their brain upon seeing them, therefore I think we've always taken each others appearance to heart. Maybe that's why we've all been trying to 'improve' ourselves over time?
Works used:
Cox, Cathryn Lee, and Lynn Carol Miller. "For Appearances Sake: Public Self-Consciousness and Makeup Use."
Pers Soc Psychol Bull 1982 8: 748
DOI: 10.1177/0146167282084023
http://psp.sagepub.com/content/8/4/748
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