Honestly, if I was asked to give up the majority of the men I’ve dated for something, depending on what that something was, I just might. For starters, my dog; I’d cut loose any man instead of my dog, but that makes sense. I mean, he’s my baby.
I’d also, on some days, toss out a man if he stood in the way of pizza, really good pizza like New York City’s Lombardi’s or Lil’ Frankie’s. Yes, no man could win a competition between those two places.
But one thing that I know for certain that I wouldn’t ditch a man over is makeup. Am I wrong? Not necessarily. But am I in the majority? No; no, I am not. I am in the minority on this one.
60% of women would rather break up with their partner than go without their makeup bag, according to research.
In a study published by Bionsen that’s either going to make you feel less alone in your love affair with cosmetics or make you groan and roll your eyes at humanity, researchers have found that 57 percent of women “would rather break up with their boyfriend than break away from their makeup bag.”
The study collected information from “dozens of surveys into women’s and men’s grooming habits,” and the results are, well, weird. I love my Chanel lipsticks. I have almost 20 sticks, but I’m realizing that my 20 sticks are nothing in comparison to those ladies who have a do-or-die obsession with cosmetics. I’ve yet to meet any of those ladies but based on this research, they’re out there and they are plentiful.
Valeria Boltneva / Pexels
The purchase of makeup alone brings joy.
On average, women have 54 items in their makeup collection, totaling around £512 (almost $880 when converted to US dollars; the study was out of the United Kingdom), and in their life, women are estimated to spend £100,000 which, unless my online converter is failing me, is roughly $170,000. In addition, women tend to buy 2–3 times more than the makeup they need, and 75 percent were able to admit that just the purchase alone brought them “great joy,” and a joy far greater than love for some.
Although men also spend money on beauty products but do so even less as they get older, there’s no word on whether or not men would break up with their partner if it came down to them or their beloved Rogaine or eyebrow pencil, or whatever it is men keep in their arsenal. Lip plumper?
Anderson Guerra / Pexels
Can makeup love you back? While I’m all for people loving products as I said, I’m a huge fan of Chanel, one has to wonder if it’s possible to love inanimate objects too much. According to a survey done by Advanced Dermatology, the average American woman shells out $877 annually on personal care products.
My Chanel No. 5 isn’t going to love me back. No matter how many times I tape a mustache to the bottle and caress it while whispering, “You’re my number one squeeze, baby,” it’s just not going to happen. It’s a tragic truth, but it’s just how things roll.
Pizza, on the other hand, considering how it makes my belly feel, I can safely say I’m pretty sure there’s some mutual love there. Takeaway? Ditching my guy for pizza is rational while tossing him out with the trash over a makeup bag is not. I’m glad we got that settled.
Amanda Chatel is an essayist, lifestyle, and health writer with a focus on relationships and mental health. Her bylines have appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Forbes, Mic, Huffington Post, and others.
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