The Effect of Using Makeup on the Self-Confidence of Female Psychology Students at Syiah Kuala University

Abstract

Beauty and physical appearance are fundamental aspects often associated with women and play a significant role in social and professional acceptance. This study aims to experimentally examine the effect of makeup use on increasing the self-confidence of female psychology students at Syiah Kuala University (USK). This quantitative study employed a one-group pretest-posttest experimental design. The research subjects consisted of 8 female psychology students selected through purposive sampling. Self-confidence levels were measured using a self-confidence scale adapted from Lauster's theory (21 items) before the treatment (pretest; without makeup) and after the treatment (posttest; using makeup). Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test in JASP. The results demonstrated a significant increase in self-confidence scores after the participants used makeup (W = 0.00, z = -2.521, p = 0.014, p < 0.05). The mean self-confidence score increased from 55.50 (SD = 5.01) in the pretest to 65.13 (SD = 5.72) in the posttest. These findings imply that makeup can serve as a simple psychological intervention to strengthen self-perception and self-confidence in young adult women.