In high school, this was my morning routine: wake up at 6:15am, brush my teeth, shower, dress and do my hair with 10 minutes till my train departs and no food in my stomach. Quickly, I’d put in my left contact, right contact and start to paint my face with eye primer, eyeliner, clean up the edges, mascara, before scarfing down the cereal and heading out the door. Fast forward to now and my morning routine is unbelievably different and easier.
I can’t remember the reason why I started to wear makeup. It was either a blossoming into womanhood or a crush on a silly boy. My skin was a mess, blotched out with reddish bumps all over. I felt like I had to distract people from looking at them. I thought that makeup enhanced my best feature, my eyes.
In Manhattan, I felt the pressure to look good because I was in “The City.” It was a strange reason, I know, but I thought that wearing makeup built up my confidence. Eventually, it just became a chore. Just a little bit of eye makeup became a hassle for me in college and now I am happy to say that I am okay with skipping it. When I came to Dickinson, I was too lazy to even think about reaching for my makeup bag. I have a 9:00am class and I work in the dining hall. So long as I felt good walking out the door, why should I need makeup?
I guess makeup let me practice feeling confident enough to be myself. Now that I’ve realized this, I can sit in class, bare faced, and not wonder what people are thinking about my face. If I have bags under my eyes, so what? Being tired is a part of college – a part of life.
Collegiettes, please don’t feel like you have to wear makeup to class because you feel like you won’t look good without it. There is nothing wrong with wearing makeup, but know that’s not what makes you beautiful. So whether you don’t leave the house without your face fully made up or occasionally put on mascara, know that it’s okay to wear make up… and it’s definitely okay not to.
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