The Beauty Tax

They say it hurts to be beautiful but I would have never guessed that it hurts like this.

I'm talking, of course, about my wallet. It costs a boatload of money to stay pretty. People blow billions every year on cosmetics and weight loss.

According to an article by InStyle, aggregated data from mint.com reveals that the average women spends $15,000 in her lifetime on makeup alone.

When you add in the gender pay gap, being a woman should basically count as a tax deduction.

I think it's fair to say that women are largely valued for their appearance. When you're valued for your appearance, it seems worth it to spend money to keep up your appearance. 

People made a big fuss about Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy but they don't seem to care as much about her hysterectomy. It's likely because her ovaries haven't made her as much money over the years.

Look. I'm not trying to close down Sephora. You can still wear your favorite brightly colored lipstick and spend $27 on that moisturizer that you really love because, well, makeup is complicated. 

As a coach, I tell my clients it's not the act of doing things like eating kale, exercising regularly, or wearing makeup that betrays your commitment to feminism or even makes you unhealthy, it's HOW you engage with these items. 

I obviously love kale. I wrote a whole blog about it here. I also love exercise. I really love putting lotion on my face. 

The essential work of intuitive eating is trying to learn how to eat to NOURISH your body instead of berating it. 

 When choosing your outfit, your makeup, or even your dietary supplement, focus on taking care of yourself instead of fixing yourself.

There's nothing broken in you so there's nothing to fix. 

Money is an exchange of value. So, if you're trading your hard earned cash, just make sure you're spending it because you know your own worth already. 

Are you ready boots? Start walkin'!

Women and shoes. Carrie Bradshaw has spent many a pun negotiating this volatile relationship. In some cultures, shoes have been used as a form of oppression. People talk about foot binding and how high heels were designed to slow the modern woman down. And honestly, I'm the first to admit that shoes are not something I'd dip into my savings to purchase. But, thanks to a new pair of boots I own, I have some fresh ideas about shoes:

1. Nobody expects you to lose weight to fit into a pair of shoes.

Shoes are weight neutral (patent pending. When people are done talking gender neutrality, it's going to be all about weight neutrality.) Girl, you can get those fab shoes now. 

2. Feel taller

My new pair of boots I would argue have changed my life. The second I slipped those babies on, something in me changed.  I felt more professional. I felt older. I was excited to walk around. These boots I own just have a little heel which makes a huge difference for someone who is 5'1''. I've just felt more capable. When you feel a little taller, you act a little taller. 

3. Fashion is a double edged sword but you can absolutely use it to boost your self esteem.

Fashion magazines are a large source of the bad body image among women. I mean, just watch one of these videos from Upworthy. The barrage of stick skinny models and clothes that cost more money than a down payment on a pretty nice house are certainly part of what keeps women spending their cash and their minds on things other than empowerment. However, I have to say, these boots gave me a boost. And having watched a few too many episodes of TLC's What Not to Wear, I tend to think that putting a new pair of shoes on or a new dress can help us make that not so subtle shift in our brains from thinking we look terrible to thinking we look pretty damn hot. 

Let's be honest ladies. Is that really so bad?