Pictured: Jennifer Lawrence as a "makeup-less" Katniss in The Hunger Games.
Makeup can be considered an art form in which the face is used as a canvas to produce unique and flawless looks. When makeup is treated as invisible in films, however, it creates the false expectation that natural beauty requires makeup (but only if it remains unacknowledged).
It’s not necessarily a Hollywood-caused issue, rather one which stems from the need to reduce individuals to one defining characteristic, whether it be appearance or personality. Many films tend to gloss over the details of daily life, and in doing so, they foster an environment where women are expected to attain perfection in their appearance, developing the misleading belief that makeup is just to cover up ‘flaws’ in the process.
When this perception exists, it restricts individuals from embracing makeup artistry, instead being bound by other’s expectations that makeup is only a tool to create natural looks. However, the more serious consequences are not visible until the filmic and real world collide.