“Pain is beauty and beauty is pain” is an old saying often used to explain the trouble women goes through to maintain their looks. Compared to men, women spend a greater amount of time and money on their appearances. Between makeup, nail care, hair care, and clothing (just to name a few), you’re looking at a lengthy daily routine and an empty wallet for the average woman.
In August, Cosmopolitan published an article about Kim Kardashian’s daytime makeup routine, which costs over $1,700 in products and hours worth of time. Kim Kardashian may seem like an extreme case, but she’s actually not far off from the average woman. In 2013, InStyle reported that women spend upwards of $15,000 on beauty products in their lifetime, and in 2012, Jezebel noted that the cost of the average woman’s health and personal hygiene upkeep totaled over $2000 per year.
The debate if it’s more expensive to be a woman has been argued before. As a woman, I thought about what I spend on myself monthly. First, I wrote down everything I buy for myself: Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, dry shampoo, face wash, Clarisonic, tea tree oil, razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, Chi serum, rose water, glycerin, body lotion, face lotion, primer, foundation, blush, highlighter, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, lip gloss, eyebrow palette, eyebrow gel, hairspray, perfume, manicure, pedicure, makeup setting spray, nail polish, and makeup brushes. And then I thought…well shoot.
I decided to take the debate to the students to see what they thought by surveying ten men and ten women. I asked, “How much do you spend monthly on your appearance (this includes anything you spend money on to maintain or enhance your appearance)?” and gave four options to choose from: A. $0-100, B. $100-250, C. $250-400, D. $400 or more. 60 percent of the women surveyed answered D, meaning they spend $400 or more on maintaining their appearance each month. 80 percent of the men surveyed answered A, meaning they spend up to $100 a month on maintaining their appearance.
When asked how long their daily routine is when getting ready, 90 percent of women surveyed answered with an hour or longer. Only 20 percent of men surveyed said they spend an hour or more on their daily routine.
Madison Dorn, a junior communication student, said, “It’s hard to give an exact amount because some months, like when the seasons start to change, I spend well over $500 between clothes, nails, hair, and skin care. I don’t spend that every month but I don’t think I spend much more than my guy friends.”
Ashley Chavez, a health studies student said, “If I’m presenting myself well that day, I spend about an hour and a half to get ready. I mean that includes showering, doing my hair, doing my makeup, and getting dressed. Monthly I spend way more than $400 on my appearance, which is probably a problem.”
When asked in the survey about money and time spent on appearances, Joe Lozito a junior, said, “Does toothpaste count as supplies for maintaining appearance?”
There are several women out there that spend much less than the average woman on appearance, and there are men that spend much more than the average man on their appearance. But for now, it is true that it is more expensive to be a woman.
IMAGE TAKEN from cheloveche.ru
