Can Makeup Boost Your Confidence?
By: Merri Kuyumjian
After an entire year of wearing sweatpants and not having enough energy to put makeup on for redundant zoom meetings, I began to wonder what effects does getting ready and putting makeup on have on ones self-esteem? Because of the pandemic, many of us dealt with not being able to go to school or work or even out with friends and it really felt like the world was falling apart. After just one month into quarantine, I missed being able to put some makeup on my face but couldn’t because I was stuck at home and it felt like a waste.
After some extensive research, I came across a phenomenon scientist are calling the “lipstick effect”. The “lipstick effect” is a “psychological phenomenon in which wearing makeup can give individuals a confidence boost by making them feel more physically attractive, increasing feelings of self-esteem, attitude, and personality” (www.thestar.com). Researchers from Harvard Medical School in the United States and the University of Chieti in Italy also discovered that the boost in self-esteem increases your cognitive abilities.
In a scientific study, researchers put female undergraduate students into different groups, and they were asked to complete a series of tests. Prior to the test, some groups were asked to put on makeup and others weren’t. When the study was concluded, the data results showed that the group that wore makeup performed significantly better than the groups that did not.
Wearing makeup not only boosts your self-esteem, but also helps you perform better cognitively. If you’re stuck and home and feel like you’re not performing your best at school or work, spruce up your mornings by revisiting your makeup routine. Whether you go for a natural look or full glam, it’s always up to you to make yourself feel good!!!
It is also important to note that not everybody depends on makeup to boost their self-confidence. Some other ways to increase your self-esteem while being home include exercising, meditating, cooking, reading etc. It is up to you to understand your mind and body and love yourself always!!!