On body image, and why it's an environmental issue

I miraculously slided through highschool basically unscathed by the usual girly issues about weight and appearance and conformity. For most of highschool and college I didn't wear makeup or bras, didn't shave anything, and never even thought about dieting. But over the years after college my husband and I ended up living first in Southern California and then in New York city, and I have picked up a few habits: shaving, makeup, thongs. And even though these were initially about doing things I thought were a little silly to fit in, some of these I have really internalized. I would now feel really uncomfortable walking around town in a tank top without shaving my underarms, and I wear makeup often enough to feel like it's normal to wear it, rather than to go without. I've been thinking about it a lot lately because I just got back from a four day camping trip, and I'm realizing how much freer and more relaxed I feel now that we're back. It's been unusually hot in NYC for over a month, and before the trip I was still wearing some makeup most days. Now that we're back it just seems crazy to use it in this heat. Instead of putting on makeup because I feel like I need it to be acceptable or normal, now I can actually decide whether I want to.

So why is this an environmental issue? Because the things that women (and increasingly men) will do for beauty often involve chemicals that are bad for the environment and bad for our health. When we have a strong positive self image we can weigh the true costs of our beauty choices. When we are locked into feeling that we need to fit in, we buy things reflexively because we 'need' them. The worst beauty offenders are hair dye and nail polish. If you are using conventional dye or polish, it's time to really think about why. Even without doing all the research about why these products are harmful, the smell and feel alone is enough to know something is wrong.