Does personality beat looks?

Over the past week, the merits and demerits of wearing make-up have been discussed to bits on social media following the wedding of Kenya’s richest bachelor to his bare-faced wife. Do women wear make-up for men? And do men care? PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Are we all missing the point in regard to what make-up stands for and what it doesn’t?  Lynn Rachel Mutethya, a civil engineer, thinks that we are.

  • In her opinion, the argument that women wear make-up because they feel that they need to should be dropped.

  • She reckons that there are women out there who, like her, wear make-up simply because they want to and they enjoy it.

A quick look at the women who are married to the most powerful men in eastern Africa reveals an interesting trend. You will notice that the four women – Janet Magufuli, Janet Kagame, Janet Museveni and

our very own Margaret Kenyatta – all sport short natural hair, and that other than a hint of lip gloss, they opt for the simple no-make-up look.

Then there is the wedding that took place last weekend that Kenyans will not stop wagging their tongues about. Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore’s bride Wambui Kamiru wore natural, locked hair and a fresh, bare face.

One could say that our rich and powerful men in the region are not swayed by expensive looking weaves and flawless make-up. This is clear. And yet, the multimillion Kenyan cosmetics market keeps rapidly growing.

Faced with these facts, many questions spring to mind. In indulging in the weaves and heavy make-up, is the Kenyan woman backing up the wrong tree? Are we missing the point?  If not flawless looks,

what is the rich and powerful man attracted to in a woman? Who does the Kenyan woman wear make-up for?

The assumption is that women wear it – and indeed, anything that makes them look pretty – to stay attractive to men. Not so. “I wear make-up for myself,” says Bilha Ngahu, a medical representative based in Nairobi.

A few years ago, she didn’t do make-up but now that she’s a convert, she can’t leave the house without it.

“I feel naked without make-up – like I am missing an item of clothing. I don’t wear make-up to change how I look but to enhance the parts of me that I love. It brings out my eyes, lips and skin tone. I feel

more beautiful and confident when my face is made up,” she says.

Are we all missing the point in regard to what make-up stands for and what it doesn’t?  Lynn Rachel Mutethya, a civil engineer, thinks that we are. In her opinion, the argument that women wear make-up

because they feel that they need to should be dropped. She reckons that there are women out there who, like her, wear make-up simply because they want to and they enjoy it.

Pauline Vata (left) prefers only lipstic while Bilha Nduta (centre) doesn’t mind makeup.Lynn Mutethya likes to wear makeup because it makes her feel feminine. PHOTOS| COURTESY

“Wearing make-up has nothing to do with how attractive a woman is. Make-up is fun and a (mode) of self-expression,” she says.

Working in a male-dominated field, Lynn likes to wear make-up because it makes her feel more feminine. She also feels that make-up helps enhance the beauty that is already there.

“It is not something I feel I need to do; wearing make-up is something that I choose to do. I have nothing against women who choose not to wear make-up,” she says.

THE MIND OF THE POWERFUL MAN

Enhancing beauty, boosting confidence, making her feel more feminine… the reasons that the Kenyan women gives for wearing make-up are valid. But does the man that the Kenyan woman is hoping to settle down in marriage with or work amongst, the rich

and powerful man, see it the same way? Is his choice of wife influenced by the amount of make-up that a woman wears, or are these incidents just coincidences?

Image consultant Robert Burale thinks that they aren’t. He says that choosing a natural looking woman is a powerful man’s subconscious way of staying in touch with reality.

He explains, “Powerful men live in a very unrealistic world. The people around them are always putting up appearances. If someone has a meeting with the boss they will wear their best clothes. When they come down to lifetime commitment, they prefer the

natural look. He has seen enough make-up and Brazilian weaves out there; when he comes home, he wants to see a natural woman.”

One could also argue that a man with wealth and power already has a variety of women for his picking. So he wants more out of a woman than just good looks – like intelligence or an exciting personality. It could also be that men are not as superficial as

women assume they are. Therefore, how well she can arch her eye brows has no bearing if her personality is not as pretty.

Wearing make-up is an age old phenomenon that goes as far back as ancient Egypt, where kohl, beeswax and even moringa were used as beauty aids. In ancient China, elites would stain their fingernails with a variety of dyes while in Japan, geishas stood out

for their painted eyes and lips framed by artificially whitened faces.

In the Middle Ages, women in Europe would make themselves look paler by bleeding out a little – pale women were considered elite because they did not have to work outside in the sun like peasants. And

since then, the make-up market has grown into a phenomenon unto itself.

Today, it is a symbol of a woman of means (quality make-up does not come cheap, and its correct application takes hours and even expensive lessons to achieve).

If make-up is a great confidence booster for women, where do those who favour the natural look get their confidence?  Nairobi lawyer Pauline Vata is among those who prefer the natural look.

While she occasionally makes sure her face is made up, she sticks to the bare basics. This is because, she says, her schedule doesn’t allow her the amount of time that a full daily make-up routine requires.

“And I like the way I look without make-up. I don’t have anything against make-up but I personally do not feel the need to wear it. When it is well done, there are women who look smashing in it,” she says.

Her thoughts on make-up and confidence? “I don’t think that confidence is something that you can get from without. It is something that is within, which is nurtured through your childhood and adolescent

years. My confidence is just something I have. It is how I think of myself,” she says.

Or maybe a woman’s confidence is something that she sucks up from her environment. Rhoda Ndung’u, a flight attendant with an international airline, says that this has been true for her. While make-up is

part of her daily attire while she is work, Rhoda prefers to go make-up free when she isn’t at work.

“All I wear on my face when I am not working is lotion and some Vaseline on my lips. Over the years, my job has exposed me to people from across the socio-economic strata. This has changed my outlook

and boosted my confidence levels,” she says.

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FROM THE MOUTHS OF MEN

Because the assumption is that women wear make-up to attract men – and that men don’t like it, we asked a few for their views on the issue.

Nick Mutuma, actor

“I have come to understand that women wear make-up for themselves and not for other people. I have no problem with the woman who feels the need to touch up.”

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Victor Mbuvi, musician

“If a woman looks good in make-up then she should wear it. Why do we paint houses? Even when they are beautiful, they need to be accentuated. If a woman feels beautiful in make-up then she should wear it.”

Clockwise: Actor Nick Mutuma, Secular artiste Bien Aime, Journalist Oyunga Pal and Gospel artiste Mbuvi also weigh in on the make-up issue. PHOTOS| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

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Robert Burale, image consultant

“Too much make-up is a problem for me. An overly made up face is red flag telling me that there is an insecurity underneath being hidden. Also, no man wants to walk around with a woman who looks like a

rainbow. If a woman chooses to wear make-up she should keep it simple.”

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Bien Aime Baraza, musician

“Like music, I believe that make-up is a form of expression. If someone wants to wear it, I don’t have a problem. Whatever makes you comfortable.”

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Oyunga Pala, columnist

“Make-up is not a problem in itself. But it is if a woman lives under it because then, she is usually selling a pseudo personality. When you meet her, it is as if you are meeting a company representative, not the

founder.”