No Make-Up, No Blow-Drys, Hairy Legs: Two Women Go Au Naturel for 60 Days

The short version: In 2012, Molly Barker (founder of Girls on the Run) and Caitlin Boyle (creator of Operation Beautiful) — two women who spent their lives preaching confidence to young girls — admitted they'd fallen into the very trap they warned against. Their response: 60 days with no makeup, no blow-drys, no shaving. Just their faces, as they are.

Why it mattered

Barker, 51, and Boyle, 27, built their reputations telling preteen girls that beauty standards are a lie. Then came the uncomfortable realization: by wearing makeup and following extensive beauty routines themselves, they were modeling exactly what they preached against. The 60-day experiment was an attempt to close the gap between the message and the messenger.

What 60 days without the routine reveals

The first thing to go isn't confidence — it's the morning. No makeup, no styling, no careful hair removal buys back real time every day, and the experiment made visible just how much of a woman's morning is a tax levied by expectation.

The harder part is the mirror phase: the days when your unadorned face feels unfinished rather than free. Barker and Boyle were honest that it wasn't all liberation — some days just felt bad. But that, too, was the point. Confidence that only exists with a full face of makeup isn't confidence; it's cosmetics.

The takeaway

The experiment didn't end with either woman swearing off makeup forever — that was never the goal. It ended with the distinction made visible: choosing to wear makeup is one thing; believing you can't be seen without it is another. Sixty days of hairy legs and bare faces didn't settle the question for everyone. But it proved the question was worth asking, by the exact people who'd been avoiding it.

From the archive: this piece was originally published March 8, 2012, and has been refreshed for clarity.