I think women tend to underestimate the value of being attractive. If you had to live your lives being shunned, mistrusted, and feared by members of the opposite sex you would probably feel differently about it.

Believe me, if there was anything I could do to become attractive I would consider it. My best hope is that reincarnation is real.

There’s a whole lot of assuming going on in this post. I don’t wear makeup to get attention from men. I’m 52 years old and well past the need of that sort of attention.

I wear makeup because I like it. It makes me feel good about myself, especially in a work setting when people tend to also dress more nicely.

There also appears to be a tone of thinking women who don’t wear makeup are superior. No ... you simply make other choices. True, some people can go overboard, but judging someone for wearing lipstick to an event you deemed casual? Pshaw. To each her own.

Vanity make-overs and cosmetic surgery is often done to gain (or avoid losing) social and/or economic standing because our society/culture tells us what is most preferred/accepted/desired. Many black women in America have gotten the message over the years (maybe less so in recent years) that the dark skin and tightly coiled hair they were born with is most unattractive. Think about what that means in terms of dating and employment (especially in corporate America). Many have opted to use damaging products like lye to relax their hair; skin lightening creams; glue-on waist-length, Asian- or European-inspired wigs.

Also, many women work in media/entertainment and their body is their brand/commodity. They too alter their bodies in order to gain (or avoid losing) social and/or economic standing.

I wouldn't say it's to look easy but a form of self expression. I shave because I feel cleaner. I rarely wear make-up. I have nice long unpainted nails not because it's feminine but they help with itching and handy when opening things. I do wax because of hirsutism. I draw the line at surgery. Most if not all men I've picked up I did so without all that to do.

Because it makes them happy.

Good smart appearance is not just for what you get out of it, but also like not displaying your dustbins on the street, a kindness to everyone else.

But of course it can go too far, and many people fall for the, more is better trap, as sold by consumerist industry and advertising, the simple truth that just because someone is selling it, it does not mean it is good, has not dawned on many. (Especially the starkly grotesque cosmetic surgery victims you see everywhere.) Just as not leaving your bin out is good taste, so is not decorating your front garden with a large pimped truck, and a pink plastic hot tub. And there is no reason to think that taste, sense and the ability to resist indoctrination, are likely to be more common in the realm of personal appearance, than housing.

With regard to men of course, men are just a push over, we are so hard wired by nature to like women, that we are dead easy to manipulate. It is about status and hoping, almost certainly in vain, that you can get a 'better' mate by so doing. Though from a womans point of view, you only have to give it a seconds thought to realize that it is actually far more likely to get you a far worse mate, if he is shallow enough to be fooled, well, you can work it out. But of course appearance is not about attracting the opposite sex, that is easy. Most birds sing and have bright feathers, not to attract, but mainly to daunt their own sex, it is about passive aggression not attraction. And happily for you if you are not an aggressive woman, then perhaps it is to your credit that you can not see the point of it.

You say you use eyeliner and used to color your hair. Why did you do that? It's the same answer, whether taken to an expensive ridiculous extreme or not. You 'felt' better about your looks when you did, otherwise you wouldn't have done anything at all. I don't understand the mentality of the extremes, though I suspect it is a way of covering up an inner ugliness one sees in themselves. By making the outside look good, maybe people won't see what is underneath? There is also a lot of pressure put on women from societal expectations of what is considered attractive, and many women seek superficial attention due to being less comfortable with themselves in areas that aren't dependent upon occular vision. I have always been a tomboy at heart, and think time spent in front of a mirror is largely wasted. I wear minimal make up and the one rule I have for my hair guy- he can do whatever he wants but that it needs to be wash-n-go and not add a bunch of time to my daily routine to manage. I think men's preferences vary as much as women's do in this department, though I suspect they come from the same inner issues. Those who prefer a woman more near societies perception of perfect and attractive aren't all that interested in what lies beneath, simply what the additional attractiveness can add to their perception of their own self worth. I find that men who tend to prefer more minimalistic physical efforts tend to be more concerned with the quality of what lies beneath that which is dependent on occular vision alone.

There's nothing wrong with improving one's appearance, such as by combing one's hair, smoothing one's skin with lotions and enhancing the contrast of facial features. The trick is knowing when enough is sufficient.
The same applies to the rest of one's body. Obesity is not natural - it is the result of not caring enough. (Don't confuse "obese" with "plump'. The latter can be quite natural.)