In researching for my last post about courtship and dating, one article from the New York Post had this to say about makeup:

“’The cosmetics industry exploded in the 1920s,’ Weigel writes. ‘Previously, only prostitutes and actresses ‘painted.’ Victorians had viewed ‘natural’ outer beauty as a sign of clean living. But around 1900, more and more women were starting to apply cosmetics. By 1912, the Baltimore Sun reported that even respectable society women ‘are seen on our streets and fashionable promenade with painted faces.’

“To counter society’s negative association with painted faces, the cosmetics industry invented a new term: makeup. Not only was ‘making yourself up’ permissible; advertisers were soon claiming it was positively virtuous,’ Weigel writes. ‘By making herself up, a woman showed that she valued her femininity and was willing to spend time and money on her appearance.'”

Do you know how much money women spend on makeup? “According to the same survey data, the average American woman will spend roughly $300,000 on face products alone in her lifetime. American women apply an average of 16 products to their face per day, from eye creams to serums to mascara, according to the same survey.”

How much money do women spend on clothing? “It is estimated that the average woman (with a life expectancy of 80 years of age) will spend approximately $125,000 in her lifetime on clothing and accessories. This will equate to just over 3,100 different items and include 145 handbags, 185 dresses and yes you’ve guessed it, over 270 pairs of shoes. With that being said, age is a huge factor in spending habits, as the surveys show that women under the age of 25 are more likely to average $200,000 during their lifetime, based on their current spending habits.”

What about hair and nails? “The hair and nail industry boosted $56 billion in revenue last year. These numbers begin to make sense when it’s common for women to get a manicure and pedicure twice a month in addition to getting their hair cut, colored, and styled on a monthly basis.”

What is all of this doing to their health? “‘If you think about the chronic conditions that the world is experiencing now – like fertility problems, thyroid conditions, diabetes, ADHD – these are all heavily impacted by hormones,’ said Carol Kwiatkowski, the executive director of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX), a not-for-profit research foundation focused on reducing harmful chemicals in the environment. ‘Prevalence rates are skyrocketing. It’s undeniable that environmental chemicals are part of the picture. And we just continue to ignore them. More than 200 possible endocrine-disrupting chemicals currently in use in cosmetics and personal care products have been identified by TEDX.'”

It’s just not worth all of the money for beauty products that are damaging your health, women, and are incredibly expensive. God cares FAR more about your inner beauty than anything you do trying to make yourself more beautiful. People will notice your inner beauty far more than your outward beauty too. Stop spending so much money on yourself and work hard on becoming the godly woman that He calls you to be. All else is vanity and is fleeting.

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
1 Peter 3:3,4