Is it okay to apply make-up in public?
It has become a common and yet contentious sight on public transport – a woman carefully applying her make-up, from foundation to the finishing touches of mascara.
But as her fellow passengers seethe in quiet irritation, wondering why she did not do all this at home, they might take comfort in the knowledge that many commuters find this behaviour off-putting. And it appears that women are even more likely to disapprove of others applying make-up on trains and buses than men.
It is thought socially unacceptable by 42 per cent of women, a survey in the UK by Ipsos MORI found.
While a third of men had no strong feelings either way, 41 per cent disapproved of the practice, with just 22 per cent saying it was no problem.
"Our advice is that a quick touch-up of mascara or lipstick is acceptable, but best to refrain from more extensive grooming in public," said Lucy Hume, editorial manager at Debrett's, the traditional arbiter of etiquette.
Wielding devices such as eyelash curlers on packed, and often bumpy, trains or buses is a different matter altogether, said Hume, adding, "That is probably down to personal judgement, but the health and safety factor, apart from anything else, would be a concern."
Pippa Bailey, senior director of Ipsos Marketing, which commissioned the research as part of a study of attitudes towards grooming and cosmetics said, "It's fascinating to see how divided we are on the issue of applying makeup in public.
"To think that around four in 10 of your fellow public transport passengers are offended by this, with men and women virtually aligned, with 41 per cent of men and 42 cent women finding it unacceptable."
The poll also found that women are more forgiving than men in attitudes to that other contentious grooming issue – beards. Overall 65 per cent of women said employers had no right to ban beards as part of uniform codes, compared with only 58 per cent of men.
But on one thing there is almost unanimous agreement. Overall 90 per cent of women and almost 80 per cent of men agreed that women are still under greater pressure than men to look well-groomed.
"It's still widely accepted that women are held to higher standards than men and are spending more of their time on personal grooming," said Bailey.
She added that future attitudes to makeup and grooming may start to cross the gender divide, as male make-up becomes more common.
"As traditional gender roles start to become less relevant in modern society, it's interesting to take a look at how this is affecting our attitudes to personal grooming," said Bailey.
"There are signs that younger generations have less rigidly gendered views. Looking to the future, the fact many people say men wearing makeup will be unremarkable could be a sign the gender divide for personal care will start to blur."
Do you think that make-up for men could soon become a fashion trend (again)? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Written by Sarah Simpson. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
Related links:
10 beauty foods for skin and hair
Chemicals in beauty products everyone should avoid
5 DIY skin care tips that are bad for you