Why do some good Catholic girls wear makeup?

[AkronPonderer]

If it's not for sex appeal, what is it for? Some non-sexual social reason? Vanity? Someone once told me all females in public have a "duty" to look fashionable to all males. Yikes!

Are nuns allowed to wear makeup?

[kage_ar]

We should care for ourselves, we cut our hair, wear clean clothes that are well kept - our bodies are "temples", if we are the face of Jesus to the world, that face should be pretty!

There are those who make their appearance an "idol" - cosmetic surgery, hours in front of the mirror... just like food and drink, everything in moderation!

Gotta go fix my lipstick now.

[ridesawhitehors]

It is a 'sign' of femininity, womanhood, and is a cultural norm. And as kage_ar suggests, is acceptable in moderation.
I have also from Fr. Bob Levitts (sp) that it is virtuous for a woman to appear attractive and modest at the same time.
It is no sin to be beautiful!

[T.A.Stobie, SFO]

Originally Posted by ridesawhitehors

It is no sin to be beautiful!

Beauty comes from the inside. A clean (relatively) soul makes a woman beautiful. Look at (Mother) Blessed Theresa of Calcutta, you can see her beauty shining out of her, but her physical body was not that great.

An honest smile adds more to how beautiful a good man will perceive a woman than make-up does.

The same for a postitive attitude.

The same for a loving demeanor.

Obvious make-up however has the oppose effect.

[T.A.Stobie, SFO]

As a guy, I never understood the quantity of make-up worn by some women.

With other good catholic males, as a teen, we discussed this and came to the follow conclusion (which I thought that some females might find interested)

Lots of make-up (i.e. it is noticable that a female is wearing making) indicates one of the following (from the male perspective):

1. She is covering up the signs of physical abuse (bruises, cuts, etc.)

2. She is advertizing herself as a sexual object which no good Christian male wants anything to do with.

3. She is trying to keep the good Christian males away and feels that she can handle the other ones.

4. She has a low self-esteem and instead of being herself and working on her self-esteem, she is hiding under a coat of paint.

Just my

[raphaela]

1. She is covering up the signs of physical abuse (bruises, cuts, etc.)

2. She is advertizing herself as a sexual object which no good Christian male wants anything to do with.

3. She is trying to keep the good Christian males away and feels that she can handle the other ones.

4. She has a low self-esteem and instead of being herself and working on her self-esteem, she is hiding under a coat of paint.

Stobie,

though you come to good conclusions, they aren't all true to all situations. I wear a lot of make-up (black usually). It's not for any of these reasons. Though I don't look like a whore clown when I do. I wear it because society says that wearing a lot of black is not normal, that it shows underlying psychological problems and many other things. I challenge this by wearing it.
I wear lots of make-up because I challenge the ideolgy of people who think that I want to be a sinful, sexual being when I'm not. Then they talk to me, and see I'm quite the opposite. That is just an example.
I like to think that the way I dress is howing people not to judge a book by it's cover. I look different then what I am. When people take the time to talk to me, then they see this.

[threej_lc]

So true, Stobie.

I agree that we should make ourselves reasonably presentable out of respect for our bodies as temples of the holy spirit.

I think for females a good step in that direction is to stop wearing makeup. As a male I find the stuff utterly repulsive. There's a difference between upkeeping your appearance and trying to change it, and I can only see makeup as the latter.

Josh

[BobCatholic]

The makeup industry basically says "If you don't buy our product, you're ugly." What kind of industry has to basically insult their customers to get them to buy their product?

Sheesh.

Another problem is: God made women beautiful. The makeup industry denies this fact and basically says "C'mon, you can make improvements to the Grand Artist's work"

[misericordie]

Originally Posted by T.A.Stobie, SFO

As a guy, I never understood the quantity of make-up worn by some women.

With other good catholic males, as a teen, we discussed this and came to the follow conclusion (which I thought that some females might find interested)

Lots of make-up (i.e. it is noticable that a female is wearing making) indicates one of the following (from the male perspective):

1. She is covering up the signs of physical abuse (bruises, cuts, etc.)

2. She is advertizing herself as a sexual object which no good Christian male wants anything to do with.

3. She is trying to keep the good Christian males away and feels that she can handle the other ones.

4. She has a low self-esteem and instead of being herself and working on her self-esteem, she is hiding under a coat of paint.

Just my

I am a young adult male and an orthodox catholic, I TOTALLY agree with you here. Some of the most beutiful women have no need for "makeup" and are all natural. I always liked wmen who are all natural and real in this sense.
By the way, isn't black lipstick makeup etc. used mostly by the so called group that calles itself "gothics."?????????? Which usually represent all that is UN-Catholic/Un-Christian.

[BLB_Oregon]

Originally Posted by T.A.Stobie, SFO

Lots of make-up (i.e. it is noticable that a female is wearing making) indicates one of the following (from the male perspective):

1. She is covering up the signs of physical abuse (bruises, cuts, etc.)

2. She is advertizing herself as a sexual object which no good Christian male wants anything to do with.

3. She is trying to keep the good Christian males away and feels that she can handle the other ones.

4. She has a low self-esteem and instead of being herself and working on her self-esteem, she is hiding under a coat of paint.

Just my

5. She has no idea what she is doing when it comes to make-up. She either thinks she looks fabulous and well-kept or she knows she's terrible at make-up and hopes no one else will notice too much.

6. She socializes in a circle where well-kept women actually use that much make-up.

(#3, by the way, is hogwash... letting good Christian males know that you are not their type just isn't that tough. I would suggest:

#3: She thinks her "costume" will help her maintain a persona that she can use to manipulate others with her imagined "feminine wiles."
(That is, #3 thinks she deserves to manipulate others, while #4 thinks she deserves to be manipulated by others.)

[deogratias]

But why does my wife wash it all off before we hit the sack

Well unless you want to wake up to racoon eyes and lipstick on the pillow, be thankful she does.

[mark a]

I don't want to get in trouble w/the forum, but couldn't she wait a little while?

[deogratias]

Mark - have you tried talking to your wife

[mark a]

Originally Posted by deogratias

Mark - have you tried talking to your wife

What? Now we need to talk too?

[PXseeker]

Reminds me of the old song:


Good girls go to heaven

Bad girls go
.....
......
Everywhere!