Comments on: Dita von Teese, You Have Got to be Kidding Me

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:49:47 +0000

I have several things to comment on.

First of all, Dita’s line of work is physically challenging. Being fully corseted on huge high heels wearing full makeup in front of HOT stage lights all day is pretty challenging, but she also probably found a way to avoid making her makeup run? Or maybe that was the problem, she was testing a new kind of makeup?

My best explanation for this was she had to work out fast, and didn’t have time to remove all of her makeup before working out, because maybe she had an appointment and was gonna shower anyway, so who cares?

There are pictures available where Dita has no makeup on, and it’s not a ‘Stars Without Makeup’ shoot either. She is smiling at the camera, without makeup. If she were really that uncomfortable, she wouldn’t be able to do that.

This is just one picture where it happened, it’s not like she’s acting nuts all the time, or even like she’s acting nuts then. I don’t see what the BFD is.

I find this article very pretentious, Dita’s quite classy and put together in comparison to many other stars, and it doesn’t have everything to do with her looks either.

By: JJF

JJF — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:41:38 +0000

I’m delurking to echo mccn’s point that the post could–and from my standpoint, should–be read as a meditation on why women wear makeup at all. I find it disingenuous to suggest that we doll up, or not, solely out of personal comfort. I belong to a women-only gym and have noticed, over the past decade and out of a broad array of women, only two working out in full makeup, both of whom, incidentally, appear to be over 60. The question of “why”–one way or the other–is worth asking.

How we as women present ourselves to the world definitely fits into the ongoing discussion of fat & body acceptance. No one is above scrutiny, though every opinion is not of equal merit. That said, an act isn’t feminist just because a woman does it.

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:46:55 +0000

If going to the gym (or the market or the mall) meant that there was a good chance my picture would end up on newstands and web sites, you can bet your bippy that I’d be rocking the mascara. If heavy make-up was a part of my image, even more so.

I don’t see this as a big deal, personally. Some people buy fancy gym clothes, some don’t. Some “dress up” to work out and some don’t. I don’t think it’s a shield people hide behind — it’s just personal preference!

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:14:32 +0000

Aside from the excellent points made by other commenters, did it occur to you that she did anything else that day? That perhaps she’s come straight from lunch, or shopping, or a meeting or interview or photo shoot? That perhaps she didn’t ‘put on her face’ purely to go to the gym…?

I know I don’t wash my face before working out… afterwards, yes.

By: littlem

littlem — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:39:50 +0000

mei, I didn’t say she had to hide.

I work out at home; I don’t consider it hiding.

I don’t think you read all of my comment – I concluded by wondering why someone in her position wouldn’t consider the choice – but you do seem to be spoiling for an argument, so can we let it go at that?

By: jenfu

jenfu — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:59:43 +0000

I totally agree with you–those kinds of surveillance photos shouldn’t be taken. But that’s kind of the whole point, isn’t it? One of the reasons she’s wearing the makeup to the gym might very well be in response to the unceasing judgment and observation she is constantly under, right?

By: Morag

Morag — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:44:07 +0000

I do get worried that women are supposed to look a certain way – and a certain way all the time. I’ve seen so many movies where we see an actress wake up in bed fully and immaculately made up. And paparazzis shots are the ultimate example of this, where any recognisable women are excoriated for daring to appear less perfect and madeup then they would in a film shoot – all those “stars without makeup” specials where humans are excoriated for actually looking human. And I can see that this post was trying to question that, so sorry if I was narky.

But I really think its bad to use these kind of images of a specific individual especially when she clearly thought she was in a private situation and her image wasn’t up for general consumption. It feeds into that whole concept that woman’s appearance is up for judgement all the time. And its a bit creepy looking at an image of a women who clearly didn’t realise that a fellow stretcher was taking secret shots at her from behind the posture balls.

By: jenfu

jenfu — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:00:09 +0000

Okay. The intent of this post was basically that von Teese’s full face of makeup made me think about things that this blog talks about–self acceptance, feminism, the intersection of the idea of makeup as a specific feminist choice versus a requirement imposed upon women who want to be properly beautiful. How the role she’s chosen for herself as a glamorous sex symbol might mean that she’s kind of trapped herself in a very specific box related to her appearance. I thought they were all very interesting questions to bring up.

This was not meant to be a negative post, and it wasn’t meant to suggest that I don’t accept her choice–she can make whatever choice she likes! I accept that she wears makeup while she does pilates. I accept that maybe she does it because she likes it! I postulate that maybe there are other reasons she does it, which are interesting to think about and I thought would open up larger questions. And I am allowed to think that working out in makeup sounds uncomfortable and messy and a highway to the breakout zone.

Anyway. I clearly didn’t make my intent quite as clear as I had supposed, and I apologize if I have made anyone very sad.

By: Carol Gwenn

Carol Gwenn — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:23:18 +0000

Reminds me of the Golden Age of Television, when Donna Reed & her ilk spent part of each weekly sitcom episode cleaning house in crispy shirtdress, pearls & heels. So what? Can also remember interviewing a fairly well-known actress in the late 1960s: the lady let me watch her doing her bed-time (full-face) make-up job – whatever works. As for combining war paint & workouts, one of my best friends goes off to sweat at least twice a week in ballet classes and wouldn’t dream of doing so without a fully applied face job. It’s a VERY personal thing, and each of us must be able to do it in her own way without any sniping from the peanut gallery.

By: c.c.

c.c. — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:17:48 +0000

I have seen The Rock (ahem, Dwayne Johnson) and several members of the Lakers at my gym. Hi, I’m totally going to wear concealer, lip gloss and mascara on the treadmill! There’s also a woman at my gym who wear a TUBE TOP while working out. Haha, no harm, no foul.