I was scrolling through Facebook, seeing the latest Spring Break photos of the frat star I follow, the recent break-up life event made by my sort-of friend and the rant of some politically active friend when I came across a sponsored article with the headline, “Kylie Jenner Shops for Makeup Without Any Makeup On!” Out of all of the ridiculous posts I saw on Facebook, this one struck me as extremely odd. My first thought was, “Who cares?” Judging by the comments on that particular Facebook post, I was not the only one expressing their lack of interest in the subject matter.
After getting over my initial lack of entertainment, I began thinking about why this was a headline to begin with. Why was it such a scandal for a woman to walk out of the house without makeup on? When did makeup become a necessity rather than a luxury? It begged the question of why makeup made someone more presentable than them wearing their natural face. I believe a lot of the blame can be placed on our societal expectations of beauty. The unrealistic advertisements of models’ faces looking airbrushed to perfection are what drive us to see it as a necessity. No, she was not born with it, and yes, it was because of Maybelline (and modern technology).
Kylie isn’t the only person who has fallen victim to this type of headline. Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston and almost all famous women have been scrutinized for not wearing makeup at some point in their careers.
Everyday women are also questioned on why they don’t wear makeup. I have had many conversations with college-aged women who say that their mothers would get mad if they were going out and they refused to put on at least some makeup. They told me that their mothers did not feel like they looked presentable or appropriate. This lesson we are teaching young girls and continuing to teach women through their adult lives is unhealthy and downright mean. We were not born with makeup, so therefore, it is not a necessity. Also, if it is such a necessity, why don’t men wear makeup? They have a face and flaws just like women do. When I say that, people scoff, but that is what it comes down to. It comes down the unrealistic expectations society puts on women. We have faces and men have faces, yet we are required by society to “mask” ours to look presentable.
Now, I am not saying makeup is the devil’s spawn and that we should boycott it to prove a point. What I am saying, however, is that we need to look at the use of makeup in a different way. We need to see makeup as a way to enhance our beauty that is already present. It should be seen as a form of expression. We need to realize that makeup is a fun luxury and not a necessity. It is unhealthy for women to think their faces are not beautiful without the aid of makeup and until we start realizing that we are enough, we will always be captive to societal pressures. My advice to you is to not wear makeup for a week. Allow yourself to wear the skin you were born with. I stopped wearing makeup for a week and it was definitely hard. I felt bare, but I allowed myself to see who I really am. After that week, I feel so comfortable without makeup that I feel weird when I do wear it! Again, this is not a rant to make you feel bad for wearing makeup. Rather, it is an article teaching you that you are BEAUTIFUL without it. You are enough, Collegiettes.