Raise your hand if you think that lush eyelashes have anything to do with beauty.

There was a segment on the Today Show recently about products that women can apply to this eyelashes in order to grow them “longer, thicker and more lush.” Lush? Since when are eye lashes supposed to be lush?

The problem with the female beauty industry, which includes but is not limited to women’s fashion, skin care, make-up and prescriptive eyelash-growing ointments, is that it has seemingly detached itself from the sensible, evolutionary-based determiners of beauty. Many decisions about attire, hair style or make-up have anything to do with a prospective mate’s perception of beauty. Instead, beauty is now based upon the indiscernible whim of the  fashion industry, the haphazard choices of film and music icons and the pressing need of conformity over individuality.

In short, the beauty industry seems to no longer care what men like.

Women are now applying products to their eyelids that cost as much as $250 per month in order to have lush lashes, an aspect of a woman’s appearance that a great majority of men do not notice.

Nor should anyone else.

Others apply green, glittery eye shadow to their eyelids for no discernible reason, plaster their lips in collagen-based products that makes them impossible to kiss and bake under heat lamps in January in order to achieve the unnatural, browned tones of a Thanksgiving Day turkey. They wear shoes that make walking difficult and cause permanent foot pain, carry thousand dollar handbags plastered with designer logos that only other thousand-dollar-handbag-owners care about and often spend more time on their hair, skin care and nails than on exercising.

And those shoes. Just this week, I have heard three different women complain about blisters as a result of the shoes that they have been wearing, and the bride at a recent wedding had to sit for the last hour of her wedding because her feet hurt so bad.

What has happened to common sense?

Inordinate sums of money and hours of attention are spent on the leather, canvas and rubber that they will use to walk through puddles and trudge through dirt. Men rarely notice these choices in footwear, and more often than not wish that their wives and girlfriends would wear something more sensible rather than listening to the complaints about foot pain.

One could rightly argue that a woman’s perception of beauty should not simply be based upon man’s perception of beauty. Self image and personal choice seem critical when it comes to a person’s definition of beauty.

But I would also argue that there has to be some rhyme or reason behind the beauty choices that people make as well. Green eye shadow, shoes that make walking virtually impossible, fake tans, and lush eyelashes hardly seem like items related to self image and personal choice. These are merely constructs, created by the beauty industry to garner greater profits at the expense of women everywhere.

When was the last time you looked at someone, male or female, and thought about how tragically thin and sparse their eye lashes were?

Ask a guy, a decent guy, what he’s looking for in a girl. Shoes, handbags, eye lashes and tans will not make the list.

A friend who was having trouble finding the right guy once asked me what men look for in women.

My reply went something like this:

Be in good shape. If this means exercising, do it. But don’t starve yourself to look good. No guy wants to eat with a bird. Instead, lead an active lifestyle.  We seem to have forgotten that the original reason that guys like the look of a tan is because it’s a signal that the girl is active and spends time outdoors.  Not because slightly browner skin really looks any better. A tanning booth tan is not to be admired because all it requires is a wasteful amount of time and the willingness to lie still. If you want a tan, go hiking. Swim. Golf. Jog.  These things impress men. Add to this a good sense of humor, a few common interests and a willingness to accept the guy for who he is. Manage all this and all the rest is gravy.

And forget about lush eyelashes, the designer label on your handbag and the height of your heels. The only people noticing these things are other women similarly obsessed.

Bu then again, this is just one man’s opinion.