Is there anything wrong with women applying makeup in public? If you saw the signs on New York City subways that equated a little blush with toenail clipping, you’d certainly think so. There’s obviously a massive chasm in decorum between a little makeup on the train and snipping your gnarly foot claws on your commute. But a new study for Covergirl by Ipsos found that more than half of women who wear makeup stated that they’d feel uncomfortable doing their makeup in public.

Other findings include 52% of women who felt judged for their makeup look said they’d also felt judged at work; 74% of women expressed that they feel they need to wear makeup in social settings; and 75% of women noted that they wear makeup for themselves and not for anyone else. These stats are the backbone of Covergirl’s new #ProjectPDA campaign–Public Displays of Application–by agency Droga5, that aims to celebrate self-expression through makeup and to challenge the notion that women have to apologize or hide for their makeup choices.

It’s an obvious stance for a makeup brand to take, and here Covergirl aligns its product with self-expression empowerment. It may be a bit of a stretch, but so is the idea that putting on makeup in public is somehow rude. And it’s certainly not even in the same galaxy as possessing the derangement of thinking trimming your toe talons in front of strangers could possibly be okay.