I am so tired of hearing, "Why do you wear makeup? You're beautiful without it." I know it's a compliment, right? People are saying that you're naturally beautiful and don't need to conform to today's beauty standards to be beautiful. But here's the issue - they are assuming that I'm trying to conform. They are assuming that I'm trying to hide. They are assuming that I have low self-esteem. They are assuming that that's something I want to hear. Do you know what I hear?
"Wow - you aren't very good at makeup. Maybe you should have left your face bare."
I know this isn't what people mean (most of the time), but I'm still going to try to clarify why I choose to wear make-up.
1. It's fun.
"Wow - you aren't very good at makeup. Maybe you should have left your face bare."
I know this isn't what people mean (most of the time), but I'm still going to try to clarify why I choose to wear make-up.
1. It's fun.
As kids, my sisters and I loved painting. We would put on our paint shirts and pull out all our paints and transform three dozen pieces of paper into mini Picassos. And we didn't care how it looked in the end. It was fun. Now, when I wake up in the morning, I get to have fun transforming my face into whatever I want it to be. I'll be real with you - sometimes I put on music and dance and act out movie scenes while blending concealer and smearing on lipstick.
People who put on makeup for a living are called makeup artists for a reason. Not just anybody can get a perfectly sculpted cheekbone or blend eye shadows seamlessly. It takes effort and a lot of practice to put makeup on well - I should know. My first attempts were... well - moving on. Makeup is an art form. Your face is a like a canvas and every morning you get to decide how to transform it. And it's a complex canvas with shapes and colors all its own. And that changes with lighting, season, age, even what color your shirt is! Like I said - it's art.
3. It's professional.
When you have a job interview, you shower and wear modest, functional clothes for the job you want. You do your hair. You do your makeup. It's just part of the professional ensemble. Can you imagine Michelle Obama or Princess Kate showing up to a formal function without a stitch of make-up on? No. You dress up, you do your hair, you do your make-up. It's just what's done. Enough said.
4. It's cultural.
Think back across the past 100 years of society in America. Each era has had a unique makeup look. Think about the world and the many cultures contained within this one globe and the many histories of those countries. Makeup has always had a role in society. I would agree that at times it has disproportionately affected women and our self-images, but can I please remind you that both women and men wore makeup in the French courts? It's just part of our culture and I don't know why people suddenly seem to be hating it.
5. It's exploratory.
There are so many different ways to do your makeup: contouring and nontouring, au naturel or rainbow eyes, tanned or pale. Emphasize your brows, your eyes, your nose, your cheeks, your lips or anything else you want. You can even put makeup on your chest to give yourself bigger breasts or more defined abs! Makeup lets you explore who you are and how you want to show yourself to the world. I went through so many different 'looks' growing up. Can you believe I used to cover my entire eyelid in shimmery green eye shadow? And after exploring that look, I realized that large amounts of bright colors are not my thing.
6. It's social.
I know that not all girls do this, but when I was in high school, there would be four to six girls in my room on the night of banquet or band concerts, everyone getting ready together. We would be exchanging tips, borrowing eye shadows, helping each other with our winged eye liner, telling stories, laughing, and growing closer as friends. When my best friend showed up last weekend as a surprise, we got ready together in the bathroom, sharing makeup and stories and advice equally, just being girls together.
7. It's relaxing.
This is only true when I'm not completely running out of time on a school morning, but on a Sabbath morning, I love to put on some quiet hymns, pull my hair back, and just enjoy the precision and art of putting on my makeup. It helps me to process my thoughts and prepare myself for the day. Some days, I pray while taking this time to myself. I can close the bathroom door and be alone. And sometimes I really need that.
8. It's helpful.
I'm blonde. (I mean physically blonde, not blonde in the mental sense that is so derogatory, by the way.) Have you ever seen a picture of a blonde girl who is wearing not a bit makeup? Yes? I applaud her. No? There's a reason. You can't see our eyelashes or our eyebrows because they are blonde and disappear into our skin. This is not an issue of self-esteem for me. I just get annoyed that you can't see my features. A swipe of mascara and a brush of brow powder makes me look like I have eyes again and people can recognize me from more than six feet away. (Also, I do drama and theatre and under those lights... haha - try looking like anything except a snowman.)
9. It's armor.
Let's be real and raw here. Sometimes your life starts to fall apart. You haven't slept for two days, the stress has given you acne, you just finished crying while sitting on the floor of your shower and now you have to face the whole world with the evidence of your crash and burn week all over your face. This is where makeup is your best friend. You get up, you dress up, you show up. Every single person is not going to ask if you are ok. Your teachers will not question your sanity. You can get through the day in peace. And you'll get better. Until then - concealer, mascara, and lipstick can be your armor and it won't betray you.
Lastly - I want to wear makeup so stop saying I shouldn't! If you're concerned that a girl wears makeup because she hates what her face looks like, try complimenting her instead of telling her what she should or shouldn't do and if you can't do that, just mind your own business. Build up her self-esteem in every area of her life and it will spread to the rest of who she is. Makeup is harmless. It's how we portray its value to little girls and big girls alike. Give us a break and let us just be ourselves - with or without makeup!
8. It's helpful.
I'm blonde. (I mean physically blonde, not blonde in the mental sense that is so derogatory, by the way.) Have you ever seen a picture of a blonde girl who is wearing not a bit makeup? Yes? I applaud her. No? There's a reason. You can't see our eyelashes or our eyebrows because they are blonde and disappear into our skin. This is not an issue of self-esteem for me. I just get annoyed that you can't see my features. A swipe of mascara and a brush of brow powder makes me look like I have eyes again and people can recognize me from more than six feet away. (Also, I do drama and theatre and under those lights... haha - try looking like anything except a snowman.)
9. It's armor.
Let's be real and raw here. Sometimes your life starts to fall apart. You haven't slept for two days, the stress has given you acne, you just finished crying while sitting on the floor of your shower and now you have to face the whole world with the evidence of your crash and burn week all over your face. This is where makeup is your best friend. You get up, you dress up, you show up. Every single person is not going to ask if you are ok. Your teachers will not question your sanity. You can get through the day in peace. And you'll get better. Until then - concealer, mascara, and lipstick can be your armor and it won't betray you.
Lastly - I want to wear makeup so stop saying I shouldn't! If you're concerned that a girl wears makeup because she hates what her face looks like, try complimenting her instead of telling her what she should or shouldn't do and if you can't do that, just mind your own business. Build up her self-esteem in every area of her life and it will spread to the rest of who she is. Makeup is harmless. It's how we portray its value to little girls and big girls alike. Give us a break and let us just be ourselves - with or without makeup!