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Hillary Clinton faces criticism for going makeup-free in public

As wonderful as it is to see women being taken seriously in the political arena, are they really being treated fairly? Despite doors that have opened for women professionally -- their beauty is judged, clothing is scrutinized, hair styles analyzed, and most recently, they've been blasted for being out in public without makeup.

Pictures of the nearly makeup-less Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, during her press conferences in Bangladesh, went viral on Monday and the media's been abuzz ever since. Fox News, for one, referred to her as "tired and withdrawn," reports the International Business Times.

And in fact, she is tired. According to the Daily Mail, Clinton announced back in January that she's ready to retire from American politics and continue to serve her country in other ways. But exhaustion is no excuse for neglecting your primping routine, according to the media-at-large. This time around, it's the lack of makeup that's the problem, but not too long ago, it was the hair.

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Back in April, word got out that Clinton's staff were opposed to her pulling her hair back with scrunchies, reports the Huffington Post, and the media ate it right up.

According to a State Department official interviewed in ELLE's May issue, the reason Clinton grew her hair out in the first place was so she could throw it back in a ponytail when prep time was scarce during her demanding travel schedule. What she neglected to consider, however, is how the hair accessory she chose to pull her hair back with would be critical in the eyes of the superficial masses.

...Or maybe she just doesn't care.

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She explains her stance on the recent controversy surrounding her appearance in an interview with CNN's Jill Dougherty:

"I feel so relieved to be at the stage I'm at in my life right now. Because, you know, if I was to wear my glasses, I'm wearing my glasses. If I want to wear my hair back, I'm pulling my hair back. At some point, it's just not something that deserves a lot of time and attention. And if others want to worry about it, I let them do the worrying for a change. It doesn't drive me crazy anymore. It's just not something I think is important anymore."

Regardless of her hectic schedule, it definitely says something about Clinton's self-confidence. As far as we're concerned, she looks great with or without it. All the power to her.

What do you think about public figures being bashed for forgoing makeup?

Watch the video below on tips for how to blow dry layer hair.