Have you heard of Fussypants? She started a campaign to Fight the Frump. What is "The Frump"? You know what it is.
It's mom-jeans. It's going to the grocery store in those Old Navy pants that are supposed to be pajama bottoms. It's walking around in flip-flops in the summer with toes badly in need of a pedicure (no - you don't have to pay to have one done, but at least clip/shape them and trim your cuticles!) It's velour track-suits.
One of the biggest issues I have with many other moms, especially stay-at-home moms, is that they seem to just let themselves go to Hell once they have children. They figure that they are only seen by toddlers and their husband all day. so why bother? This attitude drives me up a wall. I know that I feel better when I look better, so why wouldn't one want to feel better all day?
I'm one of those women who will not leave the house, even to just take my son to the bus stop, without a full makeup: foundation, powder, blush, liner, eye shadow, mascara & lipstick. Hell, I usually won't let it get to 9:00am without all of that, even if I am not planning on leaving the house all day.
Foundation? that gloppy stuff that rubs off on the telephone? Are you kidding me?
If you say that, then you have NOT been introduced to Bare Escentuals/Bare Minerals (available here, here, and here. And probably other places as well). Bare Escentuals (BE) is a mineral based makeup line that goes on light as a feather to hide all of those tiny imperfections without the "wet" feeling of traditonal foundation or having you look so overly-made up that your friends will think that you started selling Mary Kay. It's a natural, healthy look. It's coverage for those damn age spots and blemishes and fun skin oddities that happened once you started popping out kids. (there are now other brands of mineral foundations, some of which are less expensive. I haven't tried any other but BE, but I hear that women are happy with other brands too)
I don't care how "natural" you like your look, unless you are 21 years old (and possess the wonderful skin young women tend to have) there are very few women over the age of 30 who look nice without at least some skin-tone-evening foundation, a swipe of lipstick and some mascara. I'm not talking about looking "ok". I'm not talking about "I gotta get to my corner on the Blvd before some other 'ho grabs it"-made up. I'm talking about looking nice....looking the way you normally did before you spent your days covered in spit-up and Soft Scrub.
I know that at least one person who is reading this is thinking "What a sorry excuse for a woman. Doesn't she realize that it is our patriarchial society that dictates that women should wear makeup? She needs to stand up to these men and refuse to conform to their idea of beauty and toss all that paint!" To you, I say - go away! You are probably the same sort of woman who uses a Diva Cup and refuses to shave her pits. Take your seitan-eating self to another blog, because you are just going to HATE me!
That's this week's edition of "Fight The Frump, Queen Mum-style". Next week: Victoria's Secret - not just for hookers and 21-year olds any more!
STOP! If you are going to comment on this post, scroll back up to the beginning to click on the "comments" right under the title. This template on Wordpress is a little different than many other blogs. A few people posted comments to this post in the "Buzz-Love" thread. I'll see if I can move them!
Valarie in AL
Amen Sister!!! Preach on!!
Allison
Thankfully, my job keeps me from giving into the frump cravings. If I stayed at home, frumpdom would be as alluring as Gollum's precious ring...ponytail, no make-up, Old Navy pj's, you name it. BUT- I would absolutely draw the line at mom jeans.
I watch What Not to Wear to combat my secret inner-frump.
Mindi, thank you for bringing this very important matter to light. You are an inspiration :-).
Maria
I'm still young. :p
Rhonda
I use BE too!!!! Love love love it, and I am the same as you, I won't leave the house unless I am made up. No way, no how.
I used to wear the "Mom" jeans, and my sister told me I HAVE to wear boot cut or else. So I love my Levi's 525. They rock!
Tamra
I have a friend who's been bugging me for ages to use BE. (do I look that bad?!) I adore makeup. And you're right. Look good=feel good.
1stopmom
ok, you caught me. Hi, my name is 1stopmom and I am guilty of being frumpy. 🙂 I wear pajama pants to take the kids to school. But I wasn't always this way. So I think I need to pay a visit to fussypants.
Karen (Simply A Musing Blog)
Great advice. The main reason I used to resist wearing makeup was foundation. I have always, always hated that gloppy mess - I love me some Bare Minerals powder and blush. (I won't go so far as to say I have it all on by 9 am, however.) 😉
HRH
yeah for the non-frumpies...
regina
Hear, hear! I always feel pleasantly surprised when I see my reflection after I've put makeup on in the morning. If I forget for some reason, I find myself shying away from the mirror a great deal! haha... And hey! One can use a Diva cup (or mooncup!) and still shave armpits and look Fussy-licious!
Mindi
Allison - yep - that's me....an inspiration to wanna-be alcoholics and neurotic moms everywhere! And I just knew that you were a frump-fighter!
Maria: well ;-P~~~~~ to you too!
Rhonda: I started using BE about 3 years ago and I just adore it. I get the best deals on QVC as well. I finally had to write down my credit card numbers because Brad would hide it from me whenever he saw an email from QVC that BE was going to be a TSV! And he always dreads going to KoP, because he knows it will involve a trip to the BE store (and Sephora)
1stopmom: it's a process...it takes practice but it is SO worth it!
Tamra: use it...you'll love it!
Karen: my secret is that I keep my makeup in the kitchen...and usually put it on while my coffee is brewing.
Regina - I just have a "thing" about the DivaCup.....stuffing what is essentially a funnel-shaped Dixie Cup up your va-jay-jay and then re-using it? That just seems wrong on so many levels! I guess it's a good thing that the fate of the polar ice caps doesn't depend on my using one....'cause we all would be screwed!