Newcastle city-centre at midday on a Saturday - prime shopping time! On Saturday 8th March, international women's day, a group of women wanted to make shoppers think twice about buying make-up and beauty products. The local collective is concerned about the impact that cosmetics companies have on women's self-esteem - by creating a standardised version of female beauty, and expectations that to be beautiful women need to buy loads of expensive cosmetics, and cover up their natural looks.
Women visited make-up stands in department stores and pharmacists. Stickers with slogans such as 'You don't need make up' and 'You're already beautiful' were put on all the mirrors in the departments, and make-up was used to write more slogans on the mirrors.
The group is also concerned about the role of women's magazines in promoting unrealistic images of beauty, and for condemning women who do not look a certain way - be that too fat, to thin, wrong clothes, sweat patches showing, etc etc etc... Leaflets were put in women's magazines in newsagents around the city centre, providing 'free beauty tips' - information about the costs of make-up.