Thursday 7 April 2016

Beauty Rituals: Radical Feminist Self-Care

from my instagram


I am addicted to all things beauty and skincare related.  You will often find me surfing the intrawebs in search of new lotions, potions, and glitter.   At any given time, I have 7 different cleansers in rotation, serums, essences, toners, peels, masks…. The ritual of a skincare routine is a relaxing and satisfying addition to my day.

For me, having a lengthy, pampering skincare ritual is one way to steal a little “me” time from my busy day as a working mom with too many children.  Rather than viewing beauty rituals as subscribing to patriarchal dictated norms of how women should look and behave, I embrace the time I spend on makeup, hair and skincare. 

Adeline Koh’s blog post on beauty as self-care resonated with me:

Society tells me I should be hyper-focused on work, relationships and family.  There is an expectation that women should be constantly caring for the needs of others.  In an equitable world, taking a few minutes to put one’s own needs first wouldn’t be seen as selfish or even radical but in our society it can be.  Something as simplistic as spending a few minutes each day on skincare and beauty rituals, for me is an act of radical feminist self-care.




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