Makeup can be a somewhat contentious topic when it comes to how it influences women's lives. Many would argue that wearing makeup plays into gender normative and patriarchal beauty standards while others explain that makeup is empowering. Now, according to Revlon, makeup can help your love life just not in the way that you may think. While you may be thinking that Revlon's hypothesis caters to partners' perception of their significant others, the project is quite the opposite. Instead, the results of Revlon's experiment suggest that cosmetics and a bit of time for yourself is the real key to a happy life — not just love life.
Revlon partnered with Fordham University to conduct a study on how a daily ritual consisting of "facing a mirror, using a favorite fragrance, applying makeup, savoring a candy, taking a deep breath and looking at yourself and smiling." The study looked at hundreds of women who incorporated the routine, and the group came to some strong conclusions. According to Revlon and Fordham, many women returned with, "97 percent of participants reporting a significant positive change in them within the first week of adopting the ritual." In addition, the researchers asked the women to journal during the process, and the results were equally as important. The journals revealed a change in women's behaviors and perception where, "71 percent reported an increased desire for romance, 69 percent were more open to finding love, 77 percent felt more outgoing and social, and 74 percent said they were more likely to flirt." Essentially, the incorporation of the routine strongly influenced not only women's relationships but seeming upped their confidence levels in relationship to love.
In order to illustrate the findings, Revlon partnered with award-winner Tatia Pilieva and MediaCom to create a video entitled "The Love Test." In the video eight couples of all different age, ethnicities, and backgrounds were interviewed about their relationship as well as being asked one question regarding their insecurities. Following the interviews, the women were sent home to conduct the daily rituals, and the results weren't only obvious in their follow-up interviews but were also clear in their smiles and postures upon return.
According to the film maker, her goal for the short was, "to create a film that celebrates women. All women. I wanted to show that our love runs deeper than our doubts or insecurities." That idea clearly comes through in the film. It's wonderful to see the difference in the women once they have taken time in invest in themselves. While hesitancies about makeup's role in women's lives should be respected and analyzed, the video shows much more about what happens when a woman place focus on herself, no matter what it is or how it's done.
