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Wearing make-up when skiing

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I love this Q&A in OutsideOnline, so I'm copying and pasting it here. A long time ago we had a thread about wearing make-up and skiing, and I remember feeling like I somehow didn't measure up because I always wear mascara and eyeliner -- I think I look positively beat without it -- and many people said they would never consider wearing makeup on the hill. So I felt somewhat validated by this answer. I can totally relate to this person.

Q: To be totally honest, I never quite feel like I fit in the outdoors. I am a strong trail ultrarunner, an ecologist, and love spending the day bouldering and climbing at crags. But simultaneously, I love wearing makeup even when I’m in the outdoors, miss my pillow when I sleep in tents, and I can barely tolerate going multiple days in a row without showering. Overall when I’m in nature I struggle to feel like I’m wearing the right thing or acting the right way. I want to be a grungy, outdoorsy woman who rocks greasy hair and unshaven body hair, but it feels like betraying myself and my comforts. I know there’s no “wrong way” to experience nature, but how can I be less self-conscious of my existence in the outdoors without abandoning the things that make me feel like myself?

A: The reason that your interests in makeup, clean hair, and so on seem dichotomous with time outdoors is because our culture has framed things that are stereotypically male and stereotypically female as at odds with each other, and some deeply disturbing parts of American history have shaped our cultural perceptions of the outdoors as fundamentally masculine. In other words, there’s no conflict between nature and femininity (however you define it) at all. But the tension can definitely feel real, especially if the people around you are dealing with their own insecurities; they can project their anxiety about doing things right onto you.

The good news is that you have some great clarity. You know what you need to feel at ease, you know there’s no wrong way to do nature, and you recognize that the real issue here is having the confidence to embrace your preferences—which puts you ahead of a lot of people. Because even if other people’s preferences aren’t the same as yours, we’re all dealing with the same pressure to conform. Maybe the grunge-embracing women (and men) you admire are actually self-conscious in their everyday lives, dressed up, and see the outdoors as a respite from judgment. Or maybe they feel pressure to own gear they can’t afford, or they secretly want to dress in glitter or neon or all black. You can’t know how the people around you feel, but you know yourself, and you can use that insight to help break the clichés of what it means to be (and look) outdoorsy.

Try to soak up confidence from a larger community. Scroll through hashtags like #OutdoorWomen to find people who are embodying gender in a way that feels right to you, or who have the guts to do things their own way. When you need new gear or clothing, consider buying it from woman-owned brands, like Kari Traa and Skida, that put performance and femininity hand in hand. And if you need to, practice being yourself in small ways: each time you go into nature, try a new thing that feels like you, whether it’s testing a new hairstyle or packing your favorite foods. Remember that there are plenty of creature comforts, like body wipes and dry shampoo, that nobody will know about unless you decide to tell them.
 
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Christy

Angel Diva
Lindsey Vonn is coming out with a line of makeup designed for "active women." Agreed, who cares if someone does or doesn't?

But simultaneously, I love wearing makeup even when I’m in the outdoors, miss my pillow when I sleep in tents, and I can barely tolerate going multiple days in a row without showering. Overall when I’m in nature I struggle to feel like I’m wearing the right thing or acting the right way. I want to be a grungy, outdoorsy woman who rocks greasy hair and unshaven body hair, but it feels like betraying myself and my comforts.

I don't get the angst. Does anyone rock greasy hair? And I doubt many people LIKE going days without a shower--I know I don't. You just do if you have to in order to do the activity you want to do (like backpacking to a certain place or a river trip). Temporary discomfort in pursuit of something that is hopefully worth it. But I know tons of people that won't backpack--they love to car camp, preferably in a campground that has showers, but they think putting all their stuff on their back and foregoing showers and a camp cot is nuts. She sounds like them. There's nothing wrong with that.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
I have worn matte red lipstick and eyebrow pencil, and no other makeup, for years. I have silver hair so the color is terrific. I could never wear it when my hair was brown.

I moved to Vermont, and still wore it to work. Increasingly, though, I felt like it was too much trouble on weekends, and it just seemed a little out of place in my life with the garden and chickens, especially since I retired.

Lately I’ve found myself putting on the lipstick more often. I should add the eyebrow pencil, as my thinning and graying eyebrows look cut in half. I look quite smashing when dressed in black or red!

I sometimes wear it skiing. But there’s so much gear to organize and worry about, I don’t always remember. Two photos with:

1575859620267.jpg2DA70E1B-D328-4361-B44B-DB7889E25D81.jpeg

I should start up again!
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Now I’m a little embarrassed about posting the flattering photos (believe me, there are plenty of not-so-flattering!). Oh well. Getting older means we can worry less about what other people think, right?
 

WaterGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This seems like an out of character "love and humor" section of a magazine that normally provides relevant content on sports/ injuries/ gear etc.
Actually seems fake, this author seems to be writing for seventeen magazine. Just saying.

What is the source of this? "because our culture has framed things that are stereotypically male and stereotypically female as at odds with each other, and some deeply disturbing parts of American history have shaped our cultural perceptions of the outdoors as fundamentally masculine."
um, Sacagawea :crazy: anyone?
 

Pequenita

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
You look fantastic, @newboots !

I hope I don't totally derail this thread - if so, please move this into its own. A few (well, one) related thing that I've recently been thinking about is how judgmental women are about whether and to what extent we should be natural. Not even talking about shaving or makeup. Rather, I'm thinking cosmetic surgery, and in particular, procedures that concern boobs, but I guess this gripe can apply to any situation that starts off with something happening to you that you didn't choose.

Basically every group of women I've ever hung out with has been incredibly judgmental about fake boobs. I have never cared one way or the other whether someone does, nor do I go around trying to identify who does and does not, whereas I feel like some people go out of their ways to point out when someone has had an augmentation and judge people negatively for it. Now that I've had multiple friends with mastectomies and reconstruction, I can't help but think how hurtful it must be to hear another woman whom you might consider a friend rail against this sort of plastic surgery and make comments about how women should be natural and be happy with their existing beauty and not fall victims of what society thinks we should look like, etc., etc, etc.

Anyway. I feel similarly about wearing makeup while exercising. Of course, if you're backpacking and carrying makeup and complaining about the weight, that's a different issue.
 

bsskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I’m another who wears waterproof mascara and eyeliner. I also wear clear or tinted SPF moisturizer and always have my lip on. I’ve been “testing” almost every activity proof eyeshadow, eyeliner, brow gel, mascara and lip for 2 years. I’ll buy what Lindsey’s selling (to try) but think I found my winning formula. And WTH is it with thinning brows as part of getting older? If anything’s unfair, it’s that phenomenon!
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I wear sunblock everyday but rarely any makeup, not even on my wedding day. I usually roll out of bed in the morning, take a quick shower, put on sunblock and rush out the door for golf/ski....
 

NYC2VT

Certified Ski Diva
i try to subtly sneak on a little bit of eyeliner before skiing (and the beach) because i have blonde hair but very dark, thick eyebrows, so my eyes disappear without any liner. i also use eyeshadow as eyeliner, so it's not a dark line. but it's also purple so it's never going to be that subtle!

and i need clear brow gel because those brows can veer into "75 year old British academic being interviewed by the BBC" territory very quickly.

but i don't bother with any lip color, because i constantly need to apply lip balm throughout the day, so i have the clear Blistex with the long cap so i can easily reapply without taking off my gloves. i wouldn't trust myself with any lip tint applied on a lift without a mirror.

But i am a SWEATER- and from the head down- and frequently feel self-conscious when i take off my helmet, so i try not to judge anything that someone uses to feel more comfortable (though i do sometimes wonder about their pores).
 

Powgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Fanta
You look fantastic, @newboots !

I hope I don't totally derail this thread - if so, please move this into its own. A few (well, one) related thing that I've recently been thinking about is how judgmental women are about whether and to what extent we should be natural. Not even talking about shaving or makeup. Rather, I'm thinking cosmetic surgery, and in particular, procedures that concern boobs, but I guess this gripe can apply to any situation that starts off with something happening to you that you didn't choose.

Basically every group of women I've ever hung out with has been incredibly judgmental about fake boobs. I have never cared one way or the other whether someone does, nor do I go around trying to identify who does and does not, whereas I feel like some people go out of their ways to point out when someone has had an augmentation and judge people negatively for it. Now that I've had multiple friends with mastectomies and reconstruction, I can't help but think how hurtful it must be to hear another woman whom you might consider a friend rail against this sort of plastic surgery and make comments about how women should be natural and be happy with their existing beauty and not fall victims of what society thinks we should look like, etc., etc, etc.

Anyway. I feel similarly about wearing makeup while exercising. Of course, if you're backpacking and carrying makeup and complaining about the weight, that's a different issue.

Great post, @Pequenita ...I see a lot of 'natural shaming' !
 

slyfox4

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I wear a little bit of eyeliner and mascara everyday! For having super curly hair my eyelashes are pin straight so I feel like I look odd without them curled and with mascara. I also wear moisturizer with SPF cause that's important! I have friends who don't wear any at all, and I see girls all dolled up. I think whatever floats your boat is good!
 

RachelV

Administrator
Staff member

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
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freckles

Certified Ski Diva
lol, our first ski trip with my son's girlfriend... we all came down to breakfast and she surveyed the scene, not knowing what to expect...
I had a bit of mascara and brow pencil, but what got her was the fact I had my jewelry. I had my great-grandmother's diamond ring (she was a badass) and my little stud earrings.
BTW, Chapstick makes a tinted balm in Merlot (the perfect red)...
 

NYSnowflake

Angel Diva
I’m another who wears waterproof mascara and eyeliner. I also wear clear or tinted SPF moisturizer and always have my lip on. I’ve been “testing” almost every activity proof eyeshadow, eyeliner, brow gel, mascara and lip for 2 years. I’ll buy what Lindsey’s selling (to try) but think I found my winning formula.
Do tell! What’s the winning formula??
 

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