When it comes to a so-called "beauty regime", I would generally place myself in the "complete minimalist" category: My hair gets washed, conditioned, combed, and (on a good day) brushed; I wash my face and slick on a coat of Chapstick, and I'm ready for the day. No hairdryers, no mousse (does anyone use that stuff anymore?), gel or hairspray, no elaborate hairdos, and I haven't owned a bottle of makeup foundation in years. I read style magazines as if they're in a foreign language, and I laugh at them.

That in mind, I am still astonished sometimes at the differences in expectations between men and women in the area of 'beautification'. For last night's New Year's Eve bash, I gussied up a bit by wearing a little mascara. In the wee hours of 1999, long after I had rubbed off most of that trapping of feminity, I scanned the room, observing other party-goers. It occured to me that, as infrequently as I wear it, the men in the room probably never spent a moment's thought on mascara. They never buy it, never contemplate whether or not to wear it, never worry that it's been transformed into circular black smudges after a long night, never take care to gently wash it away before finally turning in.

I likely spent no more than 10 minutes on the contemplation, application and removal of my foray into the world of mascara yesterday, but if you muliply that time by the number of items in the typical woman's makeup kit, the amount of time that could be wasted each day on mere skin decoration becomes really quite obscene. When guys wear no makeup, they are simply doing what they always do. When a woman wears no makeup, she is going 'au naturel' or a hippie or some other bullshit. The first purchase of makeup is practically a rite of passage for young women; I can certainly remember mine.

If you've read this journal for awhile, you probably know that this is about the time I jump on my high horse, decry makeup as one more means to occupy women's time in wasteful ways so that they don't threaten the patriarchy, and then vow to throw away all that remains of my meager makeup collection. Well, I'm not going to do that. I can't say that I don't like hopping up onto the bathroom counter and fooling around with purple eyeliner and lucious red lipstick. And heck, I can get away with wearing that in public, if I choose! The flip side of the "men don't have to wear makeup" issue is that men aren't supposed to wear makeup.

That's the real problem, in my eyes. Gender role expectations in our society are so out of whack in many ways- men can't wear makeup or they risk being labeled a 'sissy' or a 'homo'; women are supposed to wear makeup, but only in certain ways: too much, and she's a whore, none, and she's a hippie. It's a no-win situation, unless you happen to comfortably fit into an acceptable role for your gender.

Now is when I'll jump up on a soapbox, albeit a rather low one this time: Why the hell can't men and women wear as much or as little makeup as they want? I know, I know, it's a rather silly issue to argue about. At the base of it, though, lies a pretty basic ideal: freedom of expression. Say what you want, wear what you want, do what you want, as long as it doesn't interfere with any else's rights. Simple, right? On a legal level, maybe. On an interpersonal level, maybe not.

What is your reaction to a man wearing eyeliner?

Listening to: Sweet Honey in the Rock, _Still on the Journey_.

Drinking: Danish roast coffee. Delicious.

Link of the day: Firedrake's journal is one of the first I stumbled on, and still one of my favorites. She doesn't always write much, but sometimes there's some pretty cutting observations mixed in. Her expressive daily photos are a beautiful part of the site.