Recently, I have noticed a bit of backlash in regards to women wearing makeup every day. After the beauty revolution of the past couple of years, it is only natural for some form of resistance to occur. Beauty is a topic that will never leave a woman’s life, but I feel the subject particularly weighs heavy on college-aged women. Makeup should not be something with a negative or positive connotation, nor should people dictate how any woman should live her life or cultivate her self-image.
I am a beauty fiend. I wear makeup every day, even when the South Carolina sun nearly melts it off of my face. The process of painting my face is a daily vigil I have to keep me sane. There is just something about doing my makeup, watching myself transform that is hypnotic. I’m no longer sleep deprived and stressed about class, but I am ready to take on the day. The process of makeup is akin to my morning cup of coffee. I am awakened when I am finished.
Almost every day, I wear red lipstick. There is no deep reason for why I wear it. I just like it. That being said, many people I encounter on a daily basis do not agree with my choice of cosmetics. On one occasion, a classmate took one glance at me and simply said, “I don’t like your lipstick today. You should take it off.” I was relatively unfazed but still shocked a female classmate would comment on my appearance. Later, I faced a similar comment from an older woman on the sidewalk as I was walking to class. She did not give me any criticism, initially. She said that she liked my lipstick and was surprised that she liked it. She believed red lipstick looks bad on all women.
Her comment stuck with me for a while. I thought about it almost every day, wondering how she could feel that way about her gender and, in essence, herself. After months of thinking, I came to a conclusion. She disliked bold, obvious makeup because women are told to be docile, small and subtle. We are told to be effortlessly beautiful, and a bright, blue-based red lipstick is not effortless. Similarly, she has been steeped in makeup “laws,” do not wear this color if you have a certain undertone, do not extend your eyeliner past your brows, etc. Beauty for her was stigmatized in a way that hardly exists in our current culture.
Recently, through the rise of social media influencers, the average woman (and man) has been able to learn more makeup technique, enabling them to take charge of their beauty in a more educated way. Women are making their own choices, not being as easily swayed by marketing campaigns or older views on makeup’s connection to morality. Women and men alike are paying more attention to themselves, whether it be through subtle “no makeup, makeup” or a crazy, electric-colored look, they are defining themselves by their standards, not society’s.
The woman who approached me in the street will probably never know how much her words affected me. Her comment reflects a growing criticism of makeup, overall. Criticism or not, makeup is just makeup. It is impermanent. It is self-expression. It is removable. Whoever you are, whatever your race, gender or age, you can wear whatever you want. Whether you spend five hours doing your makeup, or ten minutes on a skincare routine, you are just as beautiful and valuable. It is completely acceptable to be beautiful because you put effort into yourself. You are your only constant; therefore do whatever makes you feel the most confident (even if that is a bright, blue-based red lipstick).