I'm Barbie Ferreira, and I'm going to teach you
how to behave, which is sort of a joke in itself, but...
I'm the least behaved woman in New York State.
I would say tri-state, but Jersey
is a whole nother ballgame.
Trust.
I lived there.
Since I've started modeling,
I've spent quite a bit of my life
in a makeup chair transforming
myself into whatever someone elses perception
of what I'm supposed to be that day is.
Powder, contour, moisturize,
highlight, conceal, accentuate.
Why are women expected to do all of this?
Traditionally, makeup was thought of as a way to
help women snag a husband.
It isn't really that simple anymore.
So I'm on my way to meet some people who
think about makeup in a different way, as a tool
for art, performance and to realize their
true, authentic selves.
I know that I like makeup and a lot of people
do, and it's their way of expressing themselves.
But does that make us bad feminists?
First up, synchronized swimmers.
On the surface these ladies are like
the ultimate in old fashioned femininity.
I mean, they wear a full face of makeup
under water.
They are smiling at all times even underwater.
To me, that makes the sport seem harder,
not easier than other sports.
It feels like these swimmers get a bad rap
for appearing so feminine when the reality
is those were some bad ass bitches.
So a lot of sports don't wear makeup
or it's not like traditional to wear makeup.
So why is it that synchronized swimming, especially
when it's a water sport, why do you guys wear
makeup?
Part of our score is an artistic score.
We have to wear makeup so that the judges
can see our expression.
Just like actors on the stage,
the audience needs to see their expressions.
Similarly, in synchro, you need to have a judge be
able to read what your expression is.
Do you consider synchronized swimming feminist?
I consider everything I do feminist because
I think everything that I do advances what
the opinion of women should be.
However, I love
participating in synchronized swimming because
anyone can do it.
It's funny how makeup can alter not just your
appearance, but also people's perception of you.
Is it possible to feel the need to wear makeup
and still be feminist?
To get right to the source, I'm going to do what
every millennial does or Gen-Z...
I'm gonna go to the Internet.
So I asked Twitter, "General question,
do you wear makeup? Why or why not?
How is it empowering or disempowering
to you personally?"
Because I feel like everyone has their own personal
paths with makeup.
So I'm gonna let this fester in here and
I'm going to come back to it.
So now we're going to meet Goldie Peacock.
So Goldie is a performance artist who performs
in drag as a drag king.
They are going to teach me exactly what goes
into that.
Goldie was assigned female at birth
and now they identify as non binary.
As a good host, I'm going to get a little makeover.
Hello!
How are you?
I'm great!
How are you?
I'm great.
So what is a drag king?
So a drag king is an entertainer who assumes
the theatrical guise of maleness in and for performance.
So personally, what does portraying masculinity
in your art mean to you?
When I'm in drag, I feel very powerful
and like I own everything.
My shoulders are squared and I'm ready to
take on the world.
We're going to contour your cheekbones.
We could possibly do stubble.
I also have some fake mustaches that we could
paste on that are really extreme.
I want one of those like a handlebar mustaches.
I have one.
Ahh!
I want it so bad!
I'm every guy you ever dated.
Yeah.
Wait.
Oh, my God.
I look like I play the bass in...
Every band ever.
Every band.
So earlier today I actually asked people
just a general question, "Do you wear makeup?
Why or why not?
How is it empowering
or disempowering to you personally?"
So, @sadmemeboy, "I rarely wear makeup because
it makes me anxious about my appearance when
it doesn't work out the way I want it to.
I feel better not wearing it, but I don't feel
disempowered one way or another."
Interesting.
This is an example of how a culture of makeup
connoisseurs who say that makeup needs to
be this particular way and then people feel
anxious if they can't measure up to that standard.
In reality makeup is just paint on your literal face.
Yes!
Makeup is just paint on the face!
That's it!
People think that makeup is just to attract suitors.
But in fact, it's used for a ton of different things,
whether it be art or just your own
expression of yourself and it can't be put into a box.
Okay, so you can put it into a literal box.
Fine.
What I'm saying is there's no point
in making a moral judgment.
You can wear makeup and still smash the patriarchy.