“A smile is the best makeup any girl can wear.” – Marilyn Monroe
An ironic quote from one of the most iconic beauties of our time. She was always seen wearing makeup, but she was equally gorgeous without it.
Some women wouldn’t be caught dead without makeup, because doing so would make their friends think they are near death. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying women need to wear makeup, but we’ve all had that experience when one of our “pretty” girl friends appears sans makeup and the chatter begins that she must be suffering from a fatal illness, because she thinks she needs to wear it. Society conditions us to expect beauty at every turn.
How sad. No wonder why people suffer from low self-esteem.
What does all of this have to do with Wonder Woman Wednesday? Well, my friends, because Walgreens just unleashed a line of Wonder Woman-branded makeup products.
It made me wonder. Would such a feminist icon think it a little sexist, not to mention self-indulgent, to endorse beauty products? Isn’t Wonder Woman supposed to be a role model for girls? What does this tell them? In order to be powerful you need to wear makeup?
Oh, I know this sounds absurd, but it just brought to light some of the strange dichotomies of Wonder Woman.
In the recent Wonder Woman: Earth One graphic novel by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette, Queen Hippolyta chastises Wonder Woman for wearing makeup upon her return to Paradise Island due to a makeover from The Holiday Girls. In this version, the Amazons look like super models. Surely they don’t need makeup? Certainly not something from the man’s world to further oppress the female race? Or is it?
Makeup in various forms and purposes has been around for thousands and thousands of years. Beauty. Ritual. War. Dressing up like “Sheckles” the clown. You get it. So, makeup must be a pretty powerful thing to last the test of time. At least it’s evolved from using berries, colored clay, and or squashed insect dyes. (Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe she killed it with a can of bug spray.)
Makeup has the power to ward off evil spirits, make your opponent cower, or attract your heart’s desire. So yeah, I guess it is a pretty powerful thing. To make matters worse. If a woman couldn’t leave the house in the past without makeup, now, she can’t take a picture without Photoshop. Try finding an unfiltered selfie on Instagram, I dare you!
Makeup can also be used to make cool movie monsters, gross wounds, and fabulous Halloween costumes. Ah, the wonder of makeup.
So, if I had any reason to question Wonder Woman fronting a makeup line, it appears those fears are fading. Makeup is a choice. If it empowers you to wear it. If it makes you look like a hooker, wear less. If you do choose to wear it, that’s swell too.
I guess the answer is that there is no answer. If you want to wear makeup, wear it. If you want to look like a corpse, don’t. (Kidding, kidding.)
Obviously, Wonder Woman wears makeup, or at least lipstick and eyeliner. Clearly, Lynda Carter wore makeup as Wonder Woman. Heck, she went on to be the spokesperson for Moisture Whip. So, I guess this isn’t the first time a Wonder Woman was used to push makeup and that wouldn’t be the last. MAC did an epic line of Wonder Woman makeup campaign a few years back beautifully drawn by Mike Allred.
I guess if you’re battling a war or a blemish… makeup isn’t going anywhere. So, go and checkout the super cute line of Wonder Woman makeup at Walgreens!
Well, that wraps up this week’s edition of Wonder Woman Wednesday. See you next week and, as always, make sure to check out the “I Am Wonder Fan” Facebook page.
