Studies show men like women who wear less makeup.

By Hayley Gleeson

It was a harmless enough tweet: “Studies show that men like women who wear less makeup.”

But this post, sent to the 1.4 million Twitter users following Google Facts — an unverified “Google facts parody” account which is unaffiliated with Google — was not well received by women on social media.

The backlash reignited debate over the merits of women’s makeup application: should they, shouldn’t they, and does it really matter in the end either way?

And also: why are we even talking about this?

Some men prefer women who wear less makeup — but so do some women

So let’s unpack the research. First, it’s true studies have shown some men prefer women who wear less makeup — but so do some women.

In a study published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology in 2014, researchers Alex Jones at Bangor University and Robin Kramer at Aberdeen University showed 44 male and female students a selection of images of women’s faces, before and after various amounts of makeup were applied.

Female participants thought the models looked better with slightly more makeup than male participants did. Interestingly, however, both male and female participants thought the models looked best when they were wearing just 60 per cent of the makeup they had applied.

“Taken together, these results suggest that women are likely wearing cosmetics to appeal to the mistaken preferences of others,” the researchers concluded. (Built into this assertion is that women do not wear cosmetics because they themselves like it.)

Second, studies into what employers think of employees wearing makeup have found women who wear makeup are treated more favourably and even earn more than women who don’t.

‘The makeup tax’

Research conducted by professors from Harvard and Boston Universities (and funded by cosmetics giant Proctor & Gamble) in 2011 found women who wore subtle amounts of makeup — as opposed to “gobs of Gaga-conspicuous makeup” — were perceived to be more likeable, socially cooperative and attractive.

And a 2006 study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology found participants awarded women wearing makeup with “a greater earning potential and with more prestigious jobs” than women who wore none.

It’s a phenomenon Facebook staffer Libby Brittain dubbed “the makeup tax” in a Q&A session with presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton last year.

“Every morning, as my boyfriend zips out the door and I spend 30-plus minutes getting ready, I wonder about how the ‘hair-and-makeup tax’ affects other women — especially ones I admire in high-pressure, public-facing jobs,” Brittain wrote to Ms Clinton.

“As a young professional woman, I’d genuinely love to hear about how you manage getting ready each morning … while staying focused on the ‘real’ work ahead of you that day.”

Ms Clinton ended up dodging the question. “Amen, sister,” she replied. “You’re preaching to the choir. It’s a daily challenge. I do the best I can — and as you may have noticed, some days are better than others!”

A “challenge” indeed. During a 2012 visit to Bangladesh and India, Ms Clinton, then secretary of state, was photographed ostensibly without makeup on, only for Fox News to accuse her of “forgetting” her makeup and looking “tired and withdrawn”.

But Ms Clinton laughed it off, telling CNN: “You know at some point it’s just not something that deserves a lot of time and attention.”

Even President Barack Obama has picked up on this inequality, telling Politico recently he had an unfair advantage over Ms Clinton in the 2008 election because, “She had to wake up earlier than I did because she had to get her hair done.”

As did former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, who rose extra early in the morning to endure an hour of face-painting and hair-styling.

Perhaps women wear makeup because … they like it?

Perhaps women should care about the amount of makeup men prefer them to wear, or how well-groomed employers want them to be.

But the assumptions built into these studies are not so much offensive as they are risible — that women should be judged on how little or how much foundation and lipstick they wear, that they should be subjected to a level of scrutiny men are typically spared, suggests sexist social pressures are at work.

Has it not occurred to anyone that women are capable of dressing themselves? That perhaps women wear pants or skirts or dreadlocks or winged eyeliner because they like it?

Certainly, for many women, putting on makeup is less of a chore or a (perceived) professional hindrance than a hobby.

Bronzing and beautifying is a choice, not an obligation — it’s a creative outlet or a boost of confidence not necessarily related to men, or feminism, as they see it.

As author and Caitlin Moran told Interview Magazine in 2014: “Basically, my belief is that if David Bowie can do it [wear makeup], I can do it.

“You can wear makeup for whatever f—ing reason you want,” Moran continued. “When you’re wearing makeup, the idea isn’t always to look like some kind of airbrushed beauty queen — if you want to, f—ing go for it — but you can look like something else instead.”

In other words, you do you.

And as for whether or not men approve? Women’s response to the offending Google Facts tweet says it all.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.