Kookie Wears Makeup Too

Why are women only classified to have tons and tons of varieties to express themselves? Even in Tannen's piece, she doesn't really focus on the role of how men portray themselves in society and says that "the men's styles were unmarked"(8). Women are known to have so many different ways to accessorize and make up who they are. Using makeup, wearing different types of shoes(comfortable/sexy), wearing revealing/concealing clothes, keeping their hair up or down, changing their hair color or not. The list goes on and on. Society expects women to dress or appeal to them by expressing who they are in different ways, however, men can express themselves in whatever way they want to as well. 

Let's consider the pop industry as an example. Men using makeup such as eyeliner, lip treatments, concealer, and blush is known to be more common in society than it was a long time ago. Makeup is obviously a product that people use to enhance their appearance. Just like why women use this product, guys are starting to use it as well. Stylistically, there are differences to how they use it, however, they both use it to sharpen their looks and express themselves in society to be more intriguing and interesting. Framing men by saying they are "gay" and such isn't correct to do just because they are using a simple product known to everyone. People should just take it as a way as men trying to express themselves in a different way. All the more, this ties into Tannen's opinion that men are marked just like women. It's not right to "say that men didn't wear makeup in the sense that [people] could say a woman didn't wear makeup"(15). Of course, it's different and sort of odd for men to wear makeup, but it's still a possibility open for them to use. It's just society's perception that formed into thinking that certain things men aren't allowed to do, but women are. Makeup is just one of the many things that men apply to their lives nowadays to try and show the public another side of themselves.