History Main / MakeupIsEvil

* ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': Jaesa Wilsaam can turn out either Light or Dark-side depending on the player's actions, with the main physical difference being that Dark Jaesa wears purple eyeshadow and lipstick.

* ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan'': A corrupted cosmetics robot attacks Roll and gives her a bad facial.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'':

** Queen Jezebel notoriously put on makeup before confronting God's prophet. Unfortunately, it didn't stop her from becoming dog food.

* In the BBC series ''Series/{{Ghosts}}'', the ghost of Lady Fanny Button reacts to her descendant Alison applying makeup with outrage: " A lady pinches! Whores use rouge!"

* The term "painted lady" was an old euphemism for a prostitute, which people of the time would've associated with moral degradation. It died once TheRoaringTwenties rolled around..

* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'': In ''Annie in the Forest'', makeup is unknown to a village of elves Annie stays with during the summer. A group of teenage elves mock her for wearing "face paints", and [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1488 her own father disapproves and has her wash it off]]. This is later revealed to be because [[spoiler:he had a mild FreakOut seeing Annie for the first time in years due to her resemblance to her mother Surma and the TraumaCongaLine he experienced trying to see her again, which unwittingly harmed Annie due to them sharing the same LifeForce, and he later regrets doing this to her so publicly.]]

** Most citizens of the oppressive, decadent Capital wear heavy makeup (in the film, if not always in the book).
** In the first film, it's practically impossible to see Effie's skin under all the makeup she wears. By the second film, although Effie's clothes are still outlandish, she's wearing considerably less makeup, showing that she's begun to identify less with the citizens in the Capital and more with Katniss and Peeta.

In real life, the trope is especially hard on {{Transgender}} people, who often need heavy makeup to be able to appear presentable as their preferred gender.

* As late as [[TheSixties 1964]], authoritarian denominations on the fringes of Christianity were [[https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbklet&InfoID=1405974809 claiming that weaing makeup will condemn a woman to Hell]] for the sin of vanity and being displeasing in the eyes of God.

* ''Literature/ATangledWeb'': Aunt Beckie puts on rouge before her last family gathering, shocking her living companion, but insisting on it. Then she orders Nan to wash off her rouge -- over Nan's objection that Aunt Beckie was wearing it herself. Afterwards, Nan amuses herself by setting out to romance a young man to take him from his fiancee.

* "The Fatal Cosmetic": A woman who starts out flattering a poor performance ends up using a dangerous cosmetic, not disposing of it properly and then lying about it, so that it is mistaken for medicine and administered to another woman with fatal results.

* ''Manga/YuGiOh'': Ms. Chono is a SadistTeacher who wears so much makeup it's practically a mask.

** The Joker himself tends to wear flesh-coloured makeup to "disguise" himself as Jack Napier, his former identity.

* ''Film/Batman1989'': [[DarkChick Alicia]] is always in glamorous makeup, while Vicki Vale is (usually) barefaced, or at least looks natural by comparison. This is then exaggerated in the museum scene; Vicki is wearing hardly any makeup at all, while Alicia has painted her face white to disguise the fact that the Joker has [[FacialHorror burned off half of it]].

SisterTrope to SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains, FemmeFatalons, and DelinquentHair. An influence on UncannyValleyMakeup. See also ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow, BeautyIsBad. MonsterClown and EnemyMime are extreme versions of this trope.

A ForgottenTrope nowadays, but one that lasted for many centuries in western Europe: wearing any form of "paint" on your face is a sign of evil, particularly dishonesty, more to be expected of the DeadlyDecadentCourt or ViceCity than any more wholesome place. Only an [[TheWickedStage actress]] or some such disreputable woman would self-paint, which is why "painted woman" is not a compliment. The FemmeFatale and TheVamp obviously use make-up, as part of their stock in trade is unnaturally good looks. ([[CreepyCrossdresser The trope is rarer but stronger for men.]])

* ''Anime/DemashitaPowerpuffGirlsZ'': The source of Sedusa's powers of imitation is make-up tainted by Chemical Z, and one tell-tale sign that she's around is that she smells like cheap makeup.

* In the BBC series Series/{{Ghosts}}, the ghost of Lady Fanny Button reacts to her descendant Alison applying makeup with outrage: " A lady pinches! Whores use rouge!"

* In''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' Sheldon is convinced that makeup is deceptive; why else do they call it 'concealer'?

* ''Film/{{Catwoman}}'': The [[UnholyMatrimony two main villains]] are the CEO and spokeswoman for a cosmetics corporation, and their EvilPlan involves an anti-aging cream that causes skin to rot if the user stops using it.

In real life, the trope is especially hard on {{Transgender}} persons, who often need heavy makeup to be able to appear presentable as their preferred gender.

* In ''Theatre{{Hamilton}}'' Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds are often played by the same actress. Besides different color dress (Peggy wears yellow. Maria wears red.) one way to tell them apart is Maria wears bright red lipstick.

%%** ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1'': Ursula. She even squashes a sentient creature to produce lipstick, literally making her makeup evil.