Tracey Spicer Says Beauty Industry Is Sexist

In a bold move, TV personality Tracey Spicer stripped off all her makeup in front of the cameras to prove a very controversial point about the beauty industry…

Where do you stand on makeup and beauty procedures like waxing, tanning and skincare regimes?

Chances are, if you’re a beauty therapist, you think they’re a great way to lift the spirits of your clients and give the world the impression they’re taking care of themselves.

But if you’re television personality and journalist Tracey Spicer, you’ll consider the above ‘extreme’.

In a controversial column for dailylife.com.au in which the presenter strips off her makeup in front of the cameras, Spicer calls beauty procedures like salon spray tans and cosmetic products ‘extreme grooming’, saying:

“I’ve been weaning myself off extreme grooming… Each month, I reduce my regime: spray tans, hair treatments and serums are gone; blow-dries and dye jobs are halved; makeup is back to a bare minimum. As for all that expensive skincare full of nasty chemicals? What a waste.”

Her mission, Spicer says, is to ‘SHEconstruct’ herself to reveal her true, inner self, rather than the one she says is ‘hiding behind a mask’ of makeup and beauty procedures designed to reinforce sexist ideas about femininity.

They’re ideas she’s heard throughout her television career, including being told by viewers and producers to ‘get rid of the scarecrow hair’ and ‘do something about the crow’s feet’.

It echoes the point Today show host Karl Stefanovic made recently by wearing the same suit on air every day for a year without being noticed, while female co-host Lisa Wilkinson attracted several insulting remarks about her attire from viewers throughout the year, including ‘Who the heck is Lisa’s stylist? Today’s outfit is particularly awful.’

But Spicer’s stand against the beauty industry has also attracted criticism, with many opponents saying her ‘anti-beauty’ stance is no less extreme than the beauty procedures she brands with the same word.

Even so, Spicer says she’s forging ahead with her mission to rid the world of beauty standards, ending her column saying:

“When a colleague tells me I look sick or tired [for not wearing makeup or a spray tan], I do one of three things. One is to smile… Or I say, “Well, you’re no oil painting yourself!” Or I simply ask, “How is that relevant to the work I’m doing?”.”

Have your say: What do you think of Tracey Spicer’s stance against the beauty industry?