I did not know this existed until today. I was excited at the prospect of an older women Yuri. Unfortunately this definitely isn't me. Yet another manga about how important it is to be feminine and pretty doesn't appeal to me. Even though I have been wanting a Yuri about older women.
Edit: Before anyone comes at me, I'm aware it's got some other lofty things, like the toxicity of her husband and downplaying the intelligence of women. Using conventional femininity as a basis to do so, all while forcing said femininity on women, but it must be the right kind of femininity. I fully understand that, trust me. However, it ultimately still presents this as the superior, maybe even more natural way for women to live. It just isn't for me.
I can definitely see where you're coming from; I just want to add a couple of things. Firstly, while I think that throwing out gendered beauty standards as a whole would be a powerful and helpful thing to do, it's also a huge jump for someone who has been operating under strict beauty standards her whole life. I think that makeup can be one tool, like a stepping stone, that can allow people to see that they can be beautiful, especially if they've never felt beautiful before.
Secondly, I think some women feel like they are forced into giving up their femininity as they age. Yes, femininity shouldn't be the most important thing in someone's life; I don't think any gender performance should consume someone entirely. But for a lot of us, it is an important part of how we perceive ourselves. So as far as I'm concerned, it can be healing to try something different. Clothes and makeup are ultimately only clothes and makeup. Our main character is using them to mend her relationship to herself and to the social world she inhabits. If she decided to dress more masculine to achieve the same result, I would be just as happy for her. I don't think she's being forced into anything here.
