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The Why Factor: Why do we (still) wear make-up?

Why do we (still) wear makeup?

26/08/2019 GMT

Why do we (still) wear make-up?

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Why do we (still) wear make-up?

What’s the power of make-up? Why can't many of us leave the house without it?

The average woman uses around twenty products on her face every day. A generation ago that was just eight. What’s the allure of make-up and why are women wearing more than ever?

In the 1970s, second wave feminists declared war on make-up - arguing it oppressed women, distracted them from gaining equality, and forced them to attain a beauty ideal not expected of men. And yet young women today wear more make-up than ever. Women have made gains in employment, education, sexual liberation, so why is it so many of us can’t leave the house without make-up? We explore the power and allure of mak-eup and why it works.

Presented and Produced by Gemma Newby
Editor: Richard Knight

(Photo: Young woman vlogging about beauty products. Credit: Getty Images)

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