Zadie Smith is known for her outspokenness about female beauty standards.
(David Levenson/Getty Images)
How much time should a 7-year-old spend perfecting the contour on her face?
English novelist Zadie Smith says no more than 15 minutes and some pockets of Twitterdom tore into her from all sides.
The author of “On Beauty,” said she places a limit on how long her daughter Katherine — or “Kit,” as her mother calls her — spends applying contour.
“I explained it to her in these terms: you are wasting time, your brother is not going to waste any time doing this,” she said Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Edinburgh International Book Festival according to UK’s The Times. “Every day of his life, he will put a shirt on, he’s out the door and he doesn’t give a s— if you waste an hour and a half doing your makeup.”
“It was infuriating me,” she added. “I decided to spontaneously decide on a principle: If it takes longer than 15 minutes, don’t do it.”
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The remarks drew reactions ranging in tone from “You go, girl!” to “What the hell is a child doing wearing makeup?”
Backing up Smith were those who applauded her beauty ideals.
https://twitter.com/jojomoyes/status/899990764356284416
Agreed. So much sound and fury that could be better used elsewhere. And frankly? She’s right.
— Deborah Copaken (@dcopaken) August 22, 2017
Agree completely! she has a valid point 2! I do my basic daily make-up in 5 mins! Contouring is time-consuming, surely better things 2 do!
— Tina Wakelin (@TinaWakelin) August 22, 2017
Others questioned her judgment.
https://twitter.com/naimaism/status/899727952887164928
https://twitter.com/jessicayarleen/status/900057205717610496
Zadie Smith is catching shade but AS IF I'd have been allowed to wear makeup at all at 7! Or wanted to for that matter. #kidsthesedays
— Zoe Gardner (@ZoeJardiniere) August 22, 2017
