Jane Pratt, the formerly relevant editor now running xojane.com, is encouraging women to bravely send in photos of themselves first thing in the morning:
[W]hen I was in our staff meeting yesterday brainstorming ways to drive traffic, I thought about how well the bellies gallery did for us and we (Emily) came up with this assignment to all xoJane Staffers: Show how you look when you first wake up in the morning. And I will do it too!
Readers sent in photos of themselves wearing no makeup first thing in the morning, prompting Jane to laud their fearlessness. Telling readers “Your willingness to put yourself out there (or out here) impresses me to no end ” she reaffirmed for millions of women that there is nothing more terrifying than people seeing you before you put on mascara.
Never one to miss a bandwagon of girl power, Caitlin of HealthyTippingPoint promptly started the “Naked Face Project” – she will courageously go 60 days without shaving her legs or wearing makeup, a project previously known to many women worldwide as “I don’t even care anymore I just want January and February to be over”:
For the next 60 days, Molly and I will give up all traditional feminine Beauty Habits – including wearing any makeup, removing any body hair, altering our hair from its natural state (dying, curling, straightening), wearing uncomfortable feminine clothing (high heels, tight skirts), wearing jewelry (with the exception of wedding bands), painting our nails, using anti-wrinkle or anti-acne lotions, wearing deodorant, or styling or cutting our hair for reasons other than function.
After approaching “many women and men in our lives to discuss the concept and get feedback” Caitlin and a friend decided to begin their journey in not kowtowing to what others think. She and her pal have even started a website to document their self-congratulatory journey of going grooming free.
Meanwhile women who refuse to give up their lipstick are gathering at The Gloss to send in pictures of themselves hiding behind “cosmetic cowardice”. Jennifer Wright, obviously a self-loathing woman for refusing to set aside her eyeliner, declared “Wear make-up. Don’t wear make-up. Either one is fine. But can we please stop saying that choosing not to wear make-up is necessarily brave?”
It’s time to pick a side, bloggers! Will you choose to join Caitlin’s latest “project” or will you gutlessly cling to your NARS?
First?
Heck, I go without make up all the time. Cool post!
me too. But these bitches can fuck off, I’m not “brave” for not wearing makeup on a daily basis, if they want cookies for “courage” they’re not getting any from me.
I would like cookies for no reason though. Do you have cookies? I’d like some of those.
Yeah, it’s like saying “omg, if you aren’t wearing makeup, you must be just hideous all the time! So brave!” No. Women don’t need to wear makeup to be acceptable or beautiful. I never wear makeup and I look fine. Better, even, then when I used to do it. Shit, the only girlie thing I do is dye my hair. For fun. ‘Cause I like having red hair!
I don’t wear makeup all the time…I fail to see how this is a statement of girl power or feminism. Oh and I do like wearing makeup, you know cause I like to feel pretty.
Gloria Steinem’s focus was on makeup. Didn’t you know that?
I think this is stupid, and I wear makeup during the week and hardly at all on the weekends. What’s best or good for you doesn’t mean that it’s best or good for someone else. People should not feel like they have to wear makeup/curl their hair/straighten their hair/remove body hair, but I like to wear makeup, curl my hair, straighten my hair, and remove body hair because it makes me feel good about myself. I freely admit to using acne products because it makes me feel good about myself. I also exercise because I think fit is awesome and fat not so much, but I don’t beat myself up on days where I rest or days that I eat a cheese quesadilla. This is who I am and I feel good about myself.
If you choose not to wear makeup, choose not to curl your hair, choose not to straighten your hair, choose not to remove body hair, I hope you feel good about yourself, too.
What else would be in a quesadilla besides cheese?
I realized that it was redundant after I posted it, but whatever, I’m brave, bitch! I DON’T GIVE IN TO QUESADILLA CONTROVERSY
;) MIne have mostly mashed sweet potato, refried black beans, and fresh spinach with a little bit of vegan mozz cheese (Daiya). So, no “cheese” in the traditional sense but fucking gooey and delish! Mmmmm.
oooojh! twinsies?
how long have you been posting under melissa?? I can’t believe I haven’t seen your comments before. lolz
I’m super new! I can’t seem to stay logged in much, for some reason? My browser on the home PC hates the site. WHEN I’m logged in, I’m under weeona. When I can’t log it I brainfart back to just using my name. I can stop! I don’t want to confuse anyone. Hah.
Caitlin keeps saying she’s doing this for her own self-reflection. That’s a bunch of bull because people who do things for themselves and their own growth don’t create websites or make a project out of it to let the whole world know their intentions. She’s so desperate for attention it’s INSANE!
seconded
if one has been shown to be a self absorbed head case on numerous occasions it’s probably best for one to step away from the “self reflection” and go ahead and join the rest of us in the real world that’s not all about you.
Caitlin doesn’t seem to be able to do anything self-less or charitable without wanting a pat on the head or some sort of reward. Also, what she considers self-less and charitable is completely different from what I do so there’s that…
WORD. If they have to tell the whole world about it (or the 15 people who read their blogs) it’s not for self-reflection. What a bunch of crap.
This, more than anything, makes me realize just how removed from regular life these internet-famous people are. Perhaps, as a gift to those around me, and in my own personal rebellion against idiocy, I will spend the next 60 days shaving and wearing makeup.
Naked faces. Oh! The bravery! *weeps with pride*
I shave but otherwise fit all of Caitlin’s criteria, and I have to say “courage” plays no part in it. It’s far more about “lazy” and “want to spend all my time reading and watching hulu.” And also “who cares what I look like.”
I shave. Sometimes. Kinda. But yes, I’d much rather read or watch DVR-ed Person of Interest episodes than my face in a mirror.
I don’t care about your makeup, but please do not give up the deodorant. Even though you refuse to believe it, you really do smell bad.
I was thinking this too. So you don’t want to wear make-up or do your hair fine. But by all means don’t stink to get your point across.
that’s just what i was thinking. i don’t wear makeup ever, nor do i do anything to my hair and i’m fine with my look. but don’t punish anyone within a 3 foot radius with your stankpits. that’s just not cool.
Since when is wearing deodorant a feminine thing? Both sexes wear deodorant.
Thank you! I’m pretty sure that deodorant is a social norm for both men and women and THANK JEEBUS!
Yep. I don’t include deodorant with regular beauty products. Perhaps they should stop brushing their teeth while they’re at it because Crests whitens, ya know.
Exactly. Deodorant is not a FEMININE beauty product.
So does this mean they’re going to be giving up tampons and pads? o.0
Ha! Not HTP? Didntchaknow she’s PREGNANT???
And she’ll be 7.5 months pregnant when the experiment is over! Pregnant! Don’t forget she’s pregnant!
Not everyone who doesn’t wear deodorant necessarily smells bad. I mean, you can, but I feel like if you smell bad, it’s more because you don’t bathe or you have some kind of special odor problem. I knew a couple guys in college who did not wear it and it can be really fucking hot (esp. in sex context). In fact I would actively seek out deodorant non-wearing in a guy. I really don’t think deodorant is as vital as everyone says it is, I think bathing is more important.
Yeah, I’m going to have to say that I can take a shower, forget to put on deodorant and realize it within an hour because my pits start reeking.
That Girl–This made me laugh so hard. Anybody who moves around the least little bit is gonna sweat…and then STINK.
Why 60 days? That is a long time…to smell bad and look icky.
Deodorant is necessary in Texas, no matter how clean ANYone is.
And in SO many other places, Katya. If the weather is hot, and/or humid, and you have to go outside for more than 5 minutes, you are going to smell.
This reminds me of those “When did this become hotter?” memes (http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/when-did-this-become-hotter-than-this) – making yourself feel better by putting somebody else down is just lazy.
Preach. I hate those fucking memes. I really liked this take on it.
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/01/25/the-marilyn-meme/
There’s even a vegan-centric version floating around that Choosing Raw addressed today:
http://www.choosingraw.com/nigella-lawson-and-gillian-mckeith-a-challenge-and-an-opportunity/
I saw that meme and rolled my eyes so hard. It’s so immature. It’s like the one where they have pictures of prominent Democratic women juxtaposed with prominent Republican women, trying to draw some parallel about their attractiveness. Gross. Even more gross when women jump on that bandwagon.
If I recall correctly, Gillian McKeith has a terrible skeletal disorder, like scoliosis but it affects more than just her spine. So even if she ate butter by the stick she’s gonna look a little haggard. Yay for shaming the physically infirm for not being hot!
There is so much valid stuff to mock McKeith for, like her fake degrees and her obsession with poo. Slamming her looks is childish.
My response to all that fuckery:
awesome.
LOL. I really like this one, because it points out that beauty standards are just social constructs.
Wow. This isn’t a special challenge for me. For me, this is called any day that I am not at work! I’m a teacher so I have to be up in front of 90 kids for eight hours. You better believe on my days off I am not dressing up or putting on make up.
Give me mascara or give me death!
“Jane Pratt the formerly relevant editor…” is really all that needs to be said.
Seriously. You left Jane in 2005. Let it go.
Jane Pratt, anti makeup activist, who saw nothing wrong with creating a video of one of her editors eating kleenex.
Jane Pratt who cried and demanded a boycott of J sisters when a staffer commented on her appearance.
http://www.xojane.com/janes-stuff/yes-im-exactly-twice-old-when-i-started-sassy-want-make-something-it
I remember that! She was like “boycott them!” I mean shit it was rude but nothing like using your influence to try to bring someone down. Jane, you’re an oppressor! Come to Jesus!
Hilarious too that this was her first post. This was the most pressing thing to talk about. This received priority.
Jane Pratt who, before giving her ex back his family ring, took pictures of herself dramatically crying and clutching her face to show off how pretty and large the rock was.
http://www.xojane.com/family-drama/wedding-ring
This is ridiculous. I used to look up to her in the Sassy days, like a cool older sis. This is just really sad, especially how she called a bunch of people to validate her and then name dropped Michael Stipe. Just use his last name if you’re going to also talk about Athens, Georgia. It’s not hard to figure out who Michael is.
you guys…tell me if you noticed this subtle reference too…I think she might vaguely know some C-list TV star named Courtney? anyone else pick up on that? or maybe I’m just reading between the lines too much?
And while you’re at it, stop flogging the Sassy horse (because THAT is the real reason for her relevance, and it’s been dead for the better part of two decades)
God Sassy has been dead for 20 years? Very little makes me feel old (primarily because I”m not that old) but the fact that a magazine I received in the mail has been out of print for 20 years weirds me out.
I first got a subscription in 92, so while it’s close to 20 years, it’s not quite. I think it breathed its last sometime in 94 or 95.
omg that picture of her gripping her face is so LOL worthy!! wtf?!
Could she be any more dramatic?
I never wear make-up. Ever. My hair is its natural color and I don’t try very hard to control my curls (mostly because they can’t be controlled). I don’t think I’m brave for doing so. It’s just me. Christ…I guess I must be really scary to lots of women out there if they think to live like me for a few days would make them brave.
God, this made me laugh. :)
I figure nobody here cares whether or not I wear make-up. Also, I work for an order of nuns, and for sure nobody at work cares whether or not I wear make-up. I’m trying to figure out how I would even explain this “challenge” to them, and it gives me the lolz.
Which, by the way, this post is really hilarious. Giggling the whole way through it. Thanks!
Clearly neither of them waxes their upper lip or they wouldn’t have taken on this challenge.
truth.
Amen.
I love sanctimonious whitebread faux-feminists.
Hah! I love Frida, but don’t know want to look like her.
Do you wax? I’m always scared! I pluck here and there but it’s annoying as shit.
oooooohhhh friend. Once you start waxing you’re gonna love it so much you’ll never go back to the godforsaken tweezers! Yes it hurts, but it’s WORTH IT. I’m a half Latina, Half Irish chick who got the pale Irish skin and the thick coarse black Mexican lady hair…waxing is my best friend. More effective than anything else.
Do you do it yourself or go to the salon?
I wax my own. Sally Hansen brow wax strips, cut to desired shape, stick on, yank off. Takes under five minutes.
You use them on your lip line or on your brows?
Brows.
I have a friend who is a esthetician so she does it for me…but she maintains that doing it at home is equivalent to going to a salon. Despite my tattoos i am a baby about pain so I have to have someone rip the wax off for me.
I use a Sally Hansen Nair-type product & it works really well. You just put it on for 5-10 min then wash it off & the hair is gone. You just have to do it more often than waxing since it only gets the hair above the skin.
I wax. Find a good person. I pop into the salon when needed, 30 seconds later my lip is perfect. Because yes, hairless upper lips are perfect. No pain, and it’s not even that red afterward.
You should look into threading as well. It takes a little longer (10 mins for brows and upper lip for me) but I don’t get the big red splotches I get with waxing and the Indian lady who does mine is meticulous. It’s also way cheaper ($10 for all of that+tip).