When Did Beauty Discover Gender?
Contributed by Tina Khatri to Issue 1 of The Grey in print: Fashion & Gender
It’s an important question and often asked in many variations and the answer is always somewhat similar, we have implemented gender onto the concept of beauty. We’ve analysed the relationship between beauty and gender to the point of exhaustion because intrinsically it’s all about our human expression. And the answer becomes a separation, beauty gets diminished into something shallow while gender becomes politicised.
As a freelance makeup artist I have a privileged opportunity to explore what gender and Beauty mean to people. Fashion loves to play with gender, obsessed with a sense of androgyny and with the ideology of seeing how much we can manipulate something till it becomes something else.
How far can I push this eyeliner before it jumps out the pages? How far can I push the glow on the skin till it’s artificial? It's about pushing boundaries and especially as gender is often seen within the binary there are so many boundaries to push against and to play with on this theme.
Personally, I find gender a silly social construct that we have defined ourselves. Either by what is in our pants or the way we use language, and I understand that these details are important to people. I respect that, but the construct of gender itself forgets we are just little souls gallivanting through this world. It consistently blows my mind that there is a differentiation between a masculine and feminine blush placement which is not founded in facial structure instead it’s founded within the activities that would’ve caused a blush!
Considering the intersection at which I exist in my own personal life, someone who likes to play with my own gender expression through Beauty. My friends often ask me and debate in these long-winded discussions about what something is vs what we believe it to be.
Defining Beauty is incredibly abstract. I found a few recurring patterns while exploring this all consuming thought.
Perhaps a sense of safety or an authentic expression?
Recently someone simply asked me if someone was in the army and was applying camouflage, is that makeup? Is that Beauty?
My first immediate thought was of the trans women in my life who see makeup as an integral part of their safety. The two are similar; it's a way to protect yourself from potential harm while in an environment where you are being targeted.
Even in the act of applying your war paint, there’s a moment of deep self-connection. It’s been documented by many action films as a moment of peace preparing for war. The calm before the storm. This has always reminded me of facing my own anxieties (mild agoraphobia) as my calm before the storm for many years was indulging in making myself look beautiful - predominantly through Hair and Makeup. It Is my weapon for my own castle of Demons. But it also helped me express my own masculinity and femininity in ways that feel affirming for myself.
It’s my moment of spiritual connection, safety, and expression.
I have the honour and privilege to be able to facilitate this moment for models, musicians and my dear friends. Most Artists within the Beauty sphere that I love and respect take a holistic approach and this heightens the experience. We are able to cultivate a space but amplifies the transitional power of Beauty and facilitates a space to help people do so even if they organically do not have access to this energy for whatever reason. Beauty functions as a safe space for the gender expression and transformation that lightens your soul.
This might be from transitioning from a ‘ civilian’ to a cover star or going from enby icon to an otherworldly deity. I have clients that use their time in my chair to meditate, as I paint their face with a tiny brush, colouring any sign of fatigue and stress.
Culturally I’m Indian, and when I’m researching references, ideas and anything creative, I tend to look into my own culture.
I briefly remember reading the Kama Sutra and finding a place where it talks about men’s Makeup. This triggered a slight fascination in me, as you’re looking at a text that is written in the 2nd/3rd century CE that is differentiating gender and beauty in a way that I simply wouldn’t expect, considering it’s so graphically violent and misogynistic. Considering the text is originally written as a gentlemans handbook of sorts on how to behave and how to your life, it’s something that was deemed important, and includes men’s beauty.
Here in 2024 men’s Beauty is a business that is ever expanding. I have the insight to be behind-the-scenes and see how each one markets themselves differently. Some actively target cis men and women whilst otherss target themselves towards the trans and non-binary community. I believe that there is a large conversation to be had here about casting and tokenism within this microcosm however, I’m not nearly qualified enough to speak on this at length.
I can sympathise with companies needing to target a particular audience, but I struggle when this happens within Beauty especially within the Makeup industry. We see these products as something more than silly little paints, they often come sold with a lifestyle or an attitude implied and that’s what leads these companies campaigns and their particular prescribed expressions of gender.
For me beauty comes from the soil, it comes from kohl, it comes from crushing natural materials to protect from evil eyes.
It comes from clay, it comes from using sharpened flint to cut hair.
It comes from using naturally occurring tones and incorporating it back into our personal expression, even if synthetically made.
This is how Beauty originated, this is how it was given to me.
When we observe beauty within a capitalist structure we see a framework that ultimately breeds more differentiation between gender and beauty than exists, whereas in its purest and rawest state there is no difference, they’re the same thing.
It's very natural for humans to want to understand something, hence why there are 101 articles around gender and beauty and this as another one to the pile. It's natural for us to want to ask each other about how things relate to us and find different ways we can connect. I think we find it quite a painful and unsatisfactory answer that individuality could be redundant, but even in the yearning for it we are part of a collective.
As a society we have created an unsafe environment for the trans community despite them actively progressing all areas of our society, ironically particularly the beauty world. If we lean into a spiritually informed viewpoint of Beauty we will make a space that is safer.
We will be able to share in a moment that I’m not using gender as a pre qualifiers, and can instead be a tool for connection.
Going into a bathroom and trying on a stranger's lipstick as they tell you how pretty you are, lecturing your barber why they shouldn’t be going to clubs in the search of a one night stand while they shave your head, the tender gesture of picking up eyelashes off of your friends cheek. Beauty naturally plays with intimacy, connection and safety. It is something that is seen as shallow but can be so significant that it holds the weight of your soul.
I struggle with this idea of where we draw the line with Beauty? What is Beauty? At what point does skincare become Makeup? Where is the line between Makeup and fashion? Does Beauty become movement when you’re using a gua sha to perform lymphatic drainage on your face?What about the moment when movement makes you feel beautiful? Covered in sweat surrounded by strangers who are locked in on a DJ bearing their soul?
Beauty is indescribable so it doesn’t matter when Beauty discovered gender or when gender discovered Beauty - the two will always be together. In every moment you can find a sense of it but you can gather it into this mindful process of connection. Connection with yourself and connection with your loved ones.
Next time you see someone putting on mascara on the train take a moment to appreciate it. Do the same when you see someone’s chipped nail polish or the slight tones and variations within someone’s hair. All these things make them, them. And its an honour to get to see it.