Let's talk dirty: According to a new poll out of Britain, four out of five women don't shower every day. Two-thirds don't remove their makeup before going to bed, and about a third go as long as three days between washes.
Disgusted? Horrified? Appalled?
Or, like me, confused as to why this is news?
Listen, I get that hygiene is important, but polls like this feel like yet another excuse to shame women for not doing things "right." Shower every day, use perfume, dole on makeup, dress stylishly . . . it's all part and parcel of a lucrative beauty-industrial complex founded on shame and fear of eternal old maid-dom.
Never mind that not showering every day can actually be better for your skin and hair. Never mind that some women may not want to shower every day, or may be too damn busy to squeeze it in.
According to (but of course) the skincare company that conducted the poll, Flint + Flint, this kind of hygiene carelessness is downright scary:
"We are talking about routines that literally take minutes out of your day. It's true that today's pace of life is fast but surely as a nation we haven't become too busy to wash . . . We were alarmed to hear about the number of women not looking after their skin by following basic skin care regimes."
And if you think this isn't gendered, ask yourself why we pretty much never see these "alarming" polls about the beauty habits of men.
Ladies: If you want to shower every hour, followed by an intensive perfume and makeup ritual, do it. If you want to wait a few days between washes because, eh, you want to wait, do it. If you want to bathe once a week . . . well, okay, maybe that's taking things too far.
In any case, whatever you do, never listen to a skincare company trying to poll you about your beauty regimens.
Image: Thinkstock
