I think it’s actually pretty subjective. When I was a kid, I asked for “makeup” for my birthday, and was DEVASTATED when I was given a bottle of foundation. But generally, I think it’s pretty revolting the way she’s being criticized about this. It’s hard to talk about this stuff in shades of gray—the media works in…

Yup.

People are clearly dying to pile on! Look at the article! Look at the comments here! How can you not see that people are just SO EAGER to shit all over this woman?

Well, it was one photo shoot a while back that started this whole thing, if I remember correctly. And she really wasn’t wearing makeup for that. And it seems like she sort of took it from there and was like “this is great, I’m not going to do makeup anymore, I feel more like myself,” and then it got written about like…

Eh, it’s not really a clear line. But I think you’re making a really good point. I’d consider the kind of makeup she’s wearing to be basically on the same level as what a lot of her male peers are wearing for public appearances.

I really think that what she actually said was really overblown by how the media (including Jezebel) covered it, though.

If you look at what she actually looks like, though, it’s not like she’s even doing just a “natural look” thing even—it’s really and truly almost no makeup at all. I think that’s important. It’s not like she’s saying “no makeup!” and then wearing a full face. I think we’re playing weird purity games here, when the…

Wow. Huh. I guess I never really did the boy band thing.

I understand the complaint! But I think the problem is the media making her “no makeup” stance into something way bigger than she ever did, and then salivating at the opportunity to tear her apart for not being perfectly pure about it. I hate that I’m going to use this word, but it’s really problematic, you know? The…

HAhah, I actually love Edison bulbs. And shiplap’s not so bad. In fact none of those things is really all that objectionable (okay, except for that rug pattern, I really truly hate that) on their own. Much like avocado is a perfectly nice color. These things are just abused and used in ways that are thoughtless and…

It’s a hell of a lot more complicated that that. The amount that people are scrutinizing her for this—just going absolutely rock-hard at the chance to decry her as a “hypocrite of the highest order” for taking this stance and then basically sticking to it (brow filler is really barely in the same universe as a full…

As an actual woman, I gotta tell you that I know you think you’re bing funny and insightful or something here, but don’t.

She did not make NEARLY as big a deal out of it as everyone else did. Look up what she actually said.

Keys: “Women are brainwashed into feeling like we have to be skinny, or sexy, or desirable, or perfect. One of the many things I was tired of was the constant judgment of women. The constant stereotyping through every medium that makes us feel like being a normal size is not normal, and heaven forbid if you’re…

EXACTLY. People have been SALIVATING waiting for her to fuck up. It’s what happens to uncooperative women! Honestly, I kind of feel like a big “fuck you” to Kara for playing patriarchy-enforcer here. This isn’t really about Alicia Keys’s lack of integrity for grooming her damn brows.

Well I sure hope you’ve never softened or modified your stance on anything before, or didn’t speak with perfect precision.

I really don’t think it matters much. I think the point is to normalize a bigger range of female beauty. Not to take some weird ascetic stance that requires a perfectly pure and 100% makeup-free face forever and ever. Even to SOMETIMES wear no makeup can be a big deal. Even to wear extremely minimal makeup can be a…

I wouldn’t describe it that way.

It’s a political statement to not wear makeup as a female celebrity in our culture, though. It takes courage to deliberately take that on, and I’m glad she’s doing it. I don’t think she’s being hypocritical or selling out the cause or whatever just because she’s not a fucking nun about it, you know? I think it’s a…

Did she ever say that she does NOTHING to her face and hair though? Like, are we really going to criticize this woman for wearing tinted moisturizer? That seems crazy. Talk about micromanaging women’s bodies. I know she opened herself up to very personal criticism by taking this stance on makeup, but now it seems like…