There are better ways to blow a twenty. Via Beefus @ Flickr.
According to this study done by the YWCA (PDF), US American women spend $7 billion (with a B! Billion!) on cosmetics alone. Read the whole nauseating thing; it’s got data on plastic surgery, smoking, eating disorders, etc. It’s hard to even get my mind around a number like 7 billion, so let’s look at some smaller ones:
The average of our survey was $798.92, and I’m going to take the liberty of rounding that up $1.08 to a flat $800/year, or $66.67/month.
I’m not going to ask you to give up every little thing, or even most little things, but maybe, just maybe the next time you’re having a craptacular day and you think you’ll just bop over to Sephora, the schmancy cosmetics counter, or your favorite drugstore (mine is King’s in Brooklyn) and pick up a new tube or bottle of something–that really, you probably don’t need, since you probably have 2 or 3 at home already–you’ll think again.
Instead, you could put that chunk of that monthly change into your 401(k) or an IRA. The YWCA study notes:
If a woman invested the average amount of money she spends on a monthly manicure/pedicure treatment ($50) into her retirement account every year for ten years, she would have almost $10,000 in her account at the end of
that time.
As someone who doesn’t have benefits like employer-matched retirement contributions, that’s a might attractive number to me. If you’re feeling more secure and/or generous, you might also consider the following charitable contributions with a little of your mad money:
Heifer International: $20 will buy a family a flock of ducks, chicks, or geese; $30 will supply them with honeybees.
Women for Women: $27 a month will support a woman (and her family) in the aftermath of war and personal violence.
Children International: $22 a month will provide food, education, medical care, and familial support to a child in one of 11 countries (including the US)
National Network of Abortion Funds: Donating any amount will help provide the funds for a woman in need to travel to and pay for an abortion.
Beauty culture can be fun. But so can the knowledge that you’re bucking harmful cultural messages, saving yourself time and money, and even helping out your sisters elsewhere in the world. I’d take that over another gloopy container of lipstick anyday.
You look great today, by the way.
ETA: There must be something going around, because Newsweek magazine just published a data-story (although I’m not crazy about how they went about it) about the big bucks of beauty culture.
Sigh, and I had just succumbed to the cosmetic-industrial complex this morning with my lipstick. Luckily I give more to NCLR (Lesbian Rights) every month that I would ever spend on faux beautification.
Lately with all the unbearably depressing stories about homeless pets I’ve been donating more to shelters.
I’m glad you’re not advocating giving up “beauty” altogether, because wee could have this conversation about everything, though. Why not give up drinking and spend all our liquor money on charities? Or only buy clothes second hand and give all our shopping money to charities? The UN had a study that showed that the world hunger problem could be solved with the amount of money Americans spend ANNUALLY on their pets. I still have 2 dogs. But I do think it’s great to think about how our spending expresses what we value. I was really convicted about the pets spending thing, and picturing children starving while my puppygirls are fat and happy. So, for every pet I have, I also “adopt” a hungry child through a hunger-relief organization. For all the money I spent on Christmas presents, I also bought bicycles to help girls in third world countries get safely to school and obtain an education. I definitely try to spend way more on helping others than on myself, and my husband and I have agreed that our ultimate financial goal is to have a system where we spend 1/3, save 1/3, and share 1/3 of our income.
My solution is to buy good products from eco- and animal-friendly companies (personally, I’m a fan of Estee Lauder, since they’ve always been very supportive of Israel and don’t test on animals). When I’m paying $10 for a tube of lipstick, it makes me think twice before smearing it all over my lips for fun. I use it to its full value, and feel like I’m giving back to the world.
This hits home for me right now after a friend on twitter made comment about the last episode of Damages and how much he loved watching a dude (Kendrick) beat up a prostitute (or “ho” as the friend put it). It pissed me off, but I didn’t respond because I felt weird about a public call out like that. Which is silly given that he felt totally ok with making a comment like that to all of his twitter friends, obvs. It’s a small thing–a twitter comment–but for whatever reason I find it harder to call that sort of online thing out compared to something from a face to face conversation.
ack, wrong thread! How did I get here?
$800 a month? Wow. I spend… maybe $200, $250. Maybe. Wow.
Kaci, 800/year.
That’s an amazing goal, funnyface. I currently donate when I can to Kiva, PP, and a local animal shelter, but it’s not much. Women for Women is something I’m really interested in getting involved with.
And until I’m willing to forgo beauty culture in its entirety, I’ve got no business asking others to do so. (I’m working on it…) In the meantime, I want to simply look at it more critically. I know I can go into my bathroom and find far more stuff than I use/need already; why would I go out an buy more? Especially when what it does is reinforce negative messages about myself. That’s craziness. (That’s patriarchy!) There are so many better ways to use our time and money.
I thought about this and I’m pretty sure that my husband and I buy the exact same grooming products (shampoo, bath gel, hand cream, toothpaste, whatever). We sometimes buy different actual products (oily hair shampoo for me, dry hair shampoo for him) but they serve the same purpose (to wash hair) and are about the same price.
The only product difference that I could find (I looked through all our bathroom cupboards) is that I buy facial moisturizer for combination or sensitive skin. Hand moisturizer won’t work – it makes my face break out. Oh, and I always have a lip balm handy to prevent chapped lips. But no makeup, hair color, hair gel, nail polish, etc. I tried out all this stuff when I was younger (teens and early 20s) but I decided, gradually, that I’d rather skip it all.
I do put more time into my grooming. He can pull a comb through his hair (what’s left) and be done. I have medium length hair so I use a hair dryer and sometimes a curling iron. I use tweezers on my eyebrows. There may be other things I’m forgetting. But these don’t add any monthly costs (unless you want to get into electricity costs and carbon footprint). So, even though I don’t use makeup I’m sure I have internalized the “I need to look pretty” concept more than I’d care to admit.
I think that being in a couple, rather than single, takes off some of the societal pressure to primp. It shouldn’t be that way (the whole “you must find a partner!” crap) but I think it is a factor. Being older helps, too. At 48 my appearance matters a lot less to me than when I was 18. Last but not least, being disabled with a chronic illness changed my perspective. Now I care more about how I feel, and how I’ll get through the day, than how I look.
Just some rambling thoughts from an aging feminist.
I have a cosmetics death drawer too, but there are a lot fewer things in it since I started doing Mary Kay.
There is something to be said for the ego boost getting new make up gives a gal who is interested in wearing make up. I have found, (for myself personally, but also with my customers), that when you feel pretty on the outside, you’re going to rebound from internal struggle more quickly. That is, value is not based on outward appearances, but it can be reinforced. Also, lots of women I know just like feeling pretty. Maybe it’s reinforcing arbitrary beauty standards, or maybe it’s not — but those beauty standards aren’t going anywhere so why feed their power by saying “I’m not going to do this because it…” whatever.
I do have a problem with the assumption that make up reinforces negative messages about our bodies. I wear make up because it’s fun. I wear foundation because it protects my skin from pollution and random environmental dirt. I have 18 quadrillion eye shadows (all but one of which are Mary Kay, but don’t think I don’t try to replicate that color using MK) because it’s fun to try new looks every day. Maybe other women don’t feel the same way, but I make it a point in my business to make women feel good about themselves when they’re trying products with me — and NOT making them feel bad if they don’t like it, don’t want to try foundation or color.
Make up is supposed to be fun. When the world is as depressing as it is, you should have whatever fun you can when you can. If you want to pamper yourself with beauty products, you should — no one else is in charge of your check book but you, after all.
Re: my previous comment, I realized that I didn’t list any estimate of my monthly costs. Since I was too late for the survey (and I’m just lazy) I was just interested in the difference between what I spend on grooming (money and time) vs. my husband. After reading the comments on the earlier entry in this series I realized that he does get a hair cut more often but his haircuts cost less than mine. So I still think we come out pretty close to even on money but I spend more time.
Hey my MK sister!
If makeup isn’t your thing, fine. I do not subscribe to the idea that every woman MUST wear makeup or she’s less feminine or something.
I repeat, I don’t mind paying for manis/pedis or getting my hair done because I’m putting money directly in someone’s pocket in exchange for their expertise and skills. I don’t mind buying a product I like to use or want or feel benefits me, be it cosmetics or electronics or books or food. Do I “need” makeup? No. But I like it, I can afford it (and still afford to give to charity), so I’m gonna buy it. I don’t think it has to be all or nothing.
What it comes down to is money management principles. We can cut back on things we want all day, but if we don’t allow ourselves simple pleasures… what a miserable existence. Any money expert worth their salt will advise you to not only save money and give money, but to also have a “play” account where you can “blow” on things you want. And that satisfaction of having room to “play” helps bring you more money. But I digress..
Wow, $800/year? I just bought foundation and concealer for $50 that I hope will last me for months. I might buy a couple other things soon that should also last me a long time. When I hear stats like this, I have to remind myself that that’s an average and it doesn’t mean everyone has that much money to spend but it does mean about half of people surveyed are rich enough to spend what I spend on food in about six months on beauty. Which makes me feel like for some this is a rich country and we could certainly do more for people in extreme poverty. I recently read The Life You Can Save which was an interesting ethical argument about helping those who have almost nothing.
Rachel, ceejee: I know you do both earn a living (or part of a living, at least, I don’t claim to know the details) off selling beauty items, and ceejee, we’ve locked horns before when I’ve come out against beauty culture.
I’m not taking bread out of your mouths, or any other woman’s who earns her keep from–really, let’s be honest here–selling products that can only really truly be “fun” and free of coercion in an environment that doesn’t value women primarily on their adherence to a particular (and particularly unachievable) standard of beauty.
I’m also not asking you or anyone else to stop doing X, Y, or Z, or live a “miserable existence.” (If your life would be miserable w/o cosmetics? I am not your biggest problem.) I’m asking everyone to think about what she spends, where she spends it, and why she spends it that way. If you’ve got it all worked out, have no qualms, think I’m a hater: cool. Whatever. I have done nothing other than voice my opinion, and you’re free to think and do what you will.
I do honest and deeply believe that make up and “beauty culture”–which is NOT the same as “taking care of oneself”–is harmful to women everywhere. I know that women “treat” themselves with products and services to give themselves “a lift,” which is precisely why I wrote this last segment. I think it’s pretty shameful is that someone still believes that another new mascara is going to make her feel better about herself than the knowledge that she (whoever is reading this? YOU ARE INSANELY PRIVILEGED!) could use that money to make a real difference in the lives of women and girls (or men and boys or animals or plants or whatever it is you feel strongly about) who have so little.
Also: what Lyndsay said.
I don’t see how make-up can be fun when it’s worn every day. I can see how it’s fun to use it for special occasions. I have resisted make-up for as long as possible. I currently am slowly acquiring make-up for special occasions or if I want to make a good impression at an interview or something. What drives me nuts is this feeling that women who wear make-up are more professional-looking. What I also hate is the thought that I might wear make-up more often next year when I am a student teacher in high schools to try to look my age and not younger. Funny how other people wear make-up to try to look younger.
[...] monetary cost of all these ridiculous requirements, check out PhDork’s series of posts “The Cost of Beauty.“ Bookmark and share this [...]