In the past few years, makeup has drastically evolved from being a weapon for women to use against themselves, to an outlet for their creativity or a medium to showcase a personal aesthetic. Cosmetics have strayed away from being about traditional standards of beauty to a more modern, feminist take. 

That being said, the relationship between feminism and the makeup industry is a nuanced one, one that has prompted many activists to condemn the cosmetics industry for their deceitful marketing. 

Cosmetics are largely marketed towards women, despite the fact that in 2016 only 21 percent of makeup companies were led by female CEOs. Due to a change in beauty values, companies have started marketing their products to be about empowering women, not tearing them down. 

Glossier, Milk Makeup, and Fenty Beauty are just some of the newer makeup companies who have made it their mission to make makeup that “enhances your inner beauty” and “puts your natural features first.” And while all three of those companies are led and created by women, many older companies who had been upholding traditional gender roles are starting to switch to this mindset as well. Companies like L’Oreal have started to create ads that are meant to empower women, but the gender inequality of the industry makes it seem so disingenuous. 

Do these companies really care about empowering women? Or are they just figuring out the best way to sell their products in the 21st century? 

The truth is, I don’t have the answer to those questions, but after thinking about it for years I think I’ve come to realisation that the answers really don’t matter. The makeup industry is just like any other and they have one job: to sell products and make money. 

That isn’t an inherently bad thing, despite what some activists might say. Due to the nature of the products they sell I think we put too much responsibility on makeup companies for the way they market their products, when in reality it should be our responsibility as consumers to understand our own personal reasons for buying and wearing makeup. 

Marketing is all rhetoric, and yes, sometimes it is disingenuous. Sometimes the makeup products we buy just gives more money to a couple of rich men in mansions who don’t really care about whether we’re doing it to impress a guy or ourselves. 

But at the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter. There are far crueler tendencies of the makeup industry: animal testing, sweatshop labor, the exploitation of models among others, but the marketing of their products? That’s a societal issue, not a corporate one.