By Jonathan Montgomery

Daily Titan Staff Writer

I have a pretty regular morning routine. I wake up, shower, see what direction my hair wants to go in and hopefully do as little maintenance as possible. I get dressed, go to school and repeat.

Besides a possible hat or sunglasses, I feel like I look exactly the same at out in public as I do when I’m home alone. If I have a blemish or circles under my eyes, the entire world knows about it.

But despite my daily routine for countless years, I just recently came to a realization of sorts which had actually been staring me blank in the face since the day I was born.

It’s what’s applied in thin or thick layers on the faces of many girls and women I’ve seen throughout my life. Makeup.

Makeup coats the faces of our sisters, girlfriends, mothers and even grandmothers, but until now I never considered the rationale behind it. After doing so, I’ve realized it isn’t so rational. Because applying makeup isn’t a part of my daily schedule, I disregarded the notion of natural beauty and accepted the fact that cosmetics such as makeup, lipstick and eyeliner was simply a “girl thing.”

But now I wonder why, in our society, is it that women and not men are told they should wear makeup. To me, it seems society is saying the majority of women are too ugly in their natural states.

However, this is an idea I see as completely bogus. Granted, it wasn’t always this way. Makeup and cosmetics were a commodity only available and utilized by the upper class or prostitutes early in Western civilization.

Now makeup has expanded and been made readily available to any hand reaching out for a little extra confidence in their personal appearance. There is nothing wrong with trying to look your best. We live in a culture where good looks exceed personality and attractiveness is correlated with success.

But it is through our cultural materialism that I believe the root of this gender contradiction exists. I see quite a problem if women feel that their natural skin just isn’t good enough.

From a consumer standpoint, I think women are buying makeup simply because it is marketed and sold to them. In the past, women outside of the upper class and prostitution managed just fine without it, so the current pressure for women to wear it now seems illogical and arbitrary. This makes me think women are being sold not only unnecessary, but nearly degrading accessories.

Advertising companies and media don’t help either. On billboards, in films and magazines, models and actresses stand confidently with makeup coated and plastered across their cheeks, eyelids and lips. With makeup coupled with Photoshop, women are constantly shown unnatural and unrealistic appearances they are expected to live up to.

Thus, cause and effect.

I would like to note that I’m aware both men and women use makeup for personal or professional reasons. For example, men who are in front of a camera, such as in movies or talk shows, utilize makeup every day. Makeup has thrived with men during certain music trends and even won political debates.

What’s more, studies have shown people naturally react positively to attractive faces, so in those terms, it appears it is here to stay. And perhaps it is just a matter of time before the majority of men casually wear makeup too.

But for now, it’s vital to keep questioning not only what we spend our time on, but the validity of the differences between men and women. And as a guy, I guess I should feel fortunate society allows me to keep my morning routine short and to the point.