Makeup has been a prevalent part of society ever since ancient Egyptians created the world’s first cosmetics from copper and lead ore. Despite the thousands of years, women have been clad in cosmetics, there’s still a rampant hypocrisy associated with wearing makeup.
From a young age, society ingrains the idea that in order to be beautiful and important, girls need to look a certain way. Gorgeous feminine women are plastered all over magazines, television, social media, and we, as a society, are taught to value appearance above all else.
Women use makeup to create the “feminine look” that we hold in such high regard as a culture. However, women receive backlash not only for not wearing enough makeup, but also for wearing too much makeup. If you don’t wear “enough” makeup, you are put down for not fitting the mold of how women are “supposed to look.” If you wear “too much” makeup, you are accused of being “fake.”
As a young woman, this hypocrisy is especially exposed on campus. At the gym, two girls whisper “did you see how much makeup she was wearing to workout?” Talking with a guy friend, he mentions that he “doesn’t like girls who wear too much makeup” and he likes “the natural look.” Getting ready to go out, girls in the hallway bash on a floormate who “cakes on makeup every weekend.”
The discrepancies of wearing makeup creates insecurities among women, unsure whether or not they’re wearing the right amount. How much or how little makeup you wear is your own business, not anyone else’s. We need to end this negative culture of judgements and criticisms by creating a positive environment for women to look the way they personally desire. You should wear what makes you feel comfortable, confident and beautiful, be it a full face of makeup or nothing at all.