Have You Ever Dated Someone Who Expected You to Wear Your Makeup a Certain Way?
I haven’t…at least if we’re talking about makeup (hair is a different story, but we’ll get to that in a second). The reason this is on my mind today is because I recently read an article in which the author’s ex-boyfriend’s affinity for natural-looking/nude makeup, and his dislike for certain nail polish colors, determined what she wore for years, and it was only after she broke up with him that she realized she could wear whatever she wanted.
I grind my teeth a little (OK, a lot) when I think about how I would have responded had I been in a similar situation as a young woman, because to a degree I’m a people pleaser, and I can see myself making those accommodations for someone I loved.
As for my hair…I dated a dude my senior year in college who was kind of an @sshole, but he was the type of guy parents loved because he totally sucked up to them and was really good on paper — smart, good grades, ambitious, on the track team, sights set on a political career — but deep down inside, he was not the nicest person.
Anyway, he had this weird controlling streak that was sneaky and subtle, and it would come out whenever he’d try to manipulate me into looking a certain way.