New mothers are divided over the “birth makeup” trend on TikTok.
With the hashtag #birthingmakeup racking up more than 81.3 million views on the platform and a video from user @laedout garnering more than 3.5 million likes, it seems that welcoming your child with a full face of makeup has become popular among normal women. Some makeup artists predict that this trend is here to stay.
“My Instagram inbox is full of women who want to book me for their birth,” said makeup artist Sarah Stillenberg. Glamor. “Many women who have scheduled cesarean sections know the exact date and time and feel they have time to make an appointment with me. I also get women asking me what is the longest-lasting foundation for childbirth or what waterproof mascara is best so they can look good in those postpartum selfies.”
In the past, birth makeup was often relegated to image-conscious influencers, like former reality TV star Heidi Montag, who posted a video of her makeup artist working in the delivery room in 2022. The decision to get dolled up for the birthing process has long sparked disdain for “unrealistic beauty standards.”
Former love island Contestant Hannah Elizabeth received backlash from her followers in 2019 when she wore full makeup and hair in photos she posted of herself after giving birth to her son.
“I was set up to have a…disgusting pregnancy,” one person wrote at the time, while another added: “I love you but this is such an unrealistic display of what childbirth is really like for most women “.
Others at the time were more supportive and praised the influencer for opting for a “glamorous” look.
“How cute how you wanted to make that impression on your baby,” one person wrote. “No one should have to compromise who they are or what others like or because it's the 'norm.'”
“If she didn't have makeup and her hair was messy, they would criticize her,” another defended her. “She wears makeup and does her hair and they criticize her. Leave her alone and let her enjoy being a mother. Women should empower women. Especially new moms, with or without makeup.”
This concept of birth makeup is not new. In the mid-20th century, women faced incredible social pressure to look “spotless” and perfect at all times, even in the delivery room. To this day, the British royal family and the press uphold this tradition, with royal couples like Prince William and Kate Middleton looking picture-perfect for the masses on the steps of the maternity ward.
In 2018, Keira Knightley wrote an essay for Scarlett Curtis' book. Feminists don't wear pink and other lies about how the Princess of Wales was “out of the hospital for seven hours” [after birth] with a face made up and high heels,” which played with the idea that women should show “the face the world wants to see.”
“Hide. Hide our pain, our divided bodies, our leaking breasts, our raging hormones,” the actor wrote at the time. “Look beautiful, look elegant, don't show your battlefield, Kate.”
Some medical professionals worry that the birthing makeup trend is a side effect of pressure to look perfect, but also internalized misogyny, dating back to the days when men wanted women to look and act. in a certain way after birth.
“I now see a lot of women putting on makeup in the ward and some new mums asked me if I thought they should do the same,” one midwife allegedly admitted. Glamor. “We often comment that it feels like we're going back to the days when women were given the 'husband stitch' (a stitch performed by doctors to narrow the vaginal entrance, supposedly intended to ensure greater pleasure for men). men) without being asked.”
But some mothers point out that they do makeup for themselves (not the men in their lives) mainly because they want to be able to look at photos of one of the happiest moments of their lives and not be embarrassed by how “exhausted” they are. they watch.
“I didn't wear makeup when I gave birth to my first child, but now I can't stand looking at those photos because I look so broken and exhausted,” said Sherma, a mother of two. Glamor. “It was a very happy experience, but the photos of the moment do not show it at all. So for my second birth, I decided I was going to wear some makeup, but I wasn't sure how to do it given that I was having a scheduled c-section and therefore wouldn't have much mobility and would probably be limited to one hand. “I looked online and found the birth makeup trend on TikTok, I found the product recommendations really helpful and I really treasure the photos I have now from my son's birth.”
Other women called the act of putting on makeup empowering after giving birth, saying it restored their contact with themselves. “For me, putting on foundation, bronzer, mascara and lipstick made me feel like myself again after giving birth,” Jenen Unac explained to the outlet. “For 10 months I felt totally out of control of my body as my baby grew and even less control when I went into labor and my initial birth plan went wrong.”
“Everything was new and strange,” he added. “Being in the hospital, being a new mother and feeling like a new body, but putting on makeup made me feel normal; “It gave me a link to those everyday, mundane tasks that made up my life before this moment.”
