It seems like wherever we go, the media inadvertently shapes our standards of beauty. The truth is, however, that beauty is subjective; the fact of the matter is that what might be attractive to one person might not be attractive to another person. We shouldn’t base our decisions on what other people think.
At the beginning of my makeup journey, I started wearing makeup everyday to to cover up my imperfections. Now that I had this newfound power, it almost seemed as if my flaws were magnified: the dark circles under my eyes, that unfortunate breakout that popped up this morning without any warning, and the fine lines on my forehead that resulted from the one too many times I crinkled my forehead. Makeup became my crutch and I was mortified to go out into public with a bare face. I felt ugly without makeup, and at the end of the day when I took off my makeup, I would go to bed upset about how I looked.
However, that all changed one day during senior year. Some mornings, I did not feel like wearing makeup but put it on because I thought everyone would think I looked ugly. I was tired of keeping up this constant cycle of self-loathing and self-pity so I decided to change that. I challenged myself once a week to go makeup free in public, and what I realized was that people did notice. I would get comments like “You look different today”, “Did you wake up late?”, or “You look tired today”. The double standard that arises is that sometimes when you don’t put on makeup or you don’t style your hair, people think you look sloppy and believe that you don’t put effort into your appearance.
On the flip side, some of my friends would make comments about my makeup and shame me for wearing it. I remember one of my friends asking me “Are you that insecure that you need to wear makeup everyday?” I was astonished. I never questioned girls who didn’t wear makeup or shamed them for not wearing makeup! Comments like “I don’t need to wear makeup like some people”, “Who are you trying to impress?” and “You look better without makeup” have stuck with me. The sad fact is that many times when people make these comments it is because they feel that you are somehow inferior because you choose to wear makeup. They think that you are insecure and are “pathetic” for trying to impress a crush. But this could not be farther from the truth.
People wear makeup for different reasons; maybe they are insecure and want to cover their flaws, maybe they are trying to impress someone…but maybe they also find applying makeup to be a fun hobby—look at beauty gurus like Ingrid Nilsen and Michelle Phan. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be anyone else’s business why a girl chooses to wear -or not to wear- makeup.
It is not okay to tell a woman what is wrong with her based on what she decides to do with her body. It is her body and it shouldn’t concern anyone else. It creates this idea that it is acceptable to stereotype people by saying girls who don’t wear makeup are lazy or girls who wear makeup are insecure. Maybe if our culture wasn’t so focused on appearances they would realize that people are more than their appearances; they are their ideas, quirks, and mindsets.
Women who wear makeup are shamed for lying and “looking” slutty while many times women who don’t wear makeup are shamed for being lazy to not put enough time into their appearance. There is really no middle ground and there are always people who feel the need to interject themselves into other people’s well being.
If you wear makeup it shouldn’t be to please anyone else but yourself. Sometimes we need to be selfish. If you are a guy, you should be able to wear makeup too. It is a personal preference and it shouldn’t matter what other people think.
To all people who judge people for wearing makeup or not wearing it, it is not really your problem in the first place. We shouldn’t have to apologize for wearing makeup or apologize for not wearing makeup, it’s this ridiculous double standard that you can’t win.
In 2016, love yourself and don’t be so focused on following the social trends and norms. At the end of the day, wearing makeup should be a personal preference, not the end all be all. Just do you and be you, and the next time someone criticizes your look, don’t apologize. Don’t apologize for being yourself, real and genuine. At the end of the day it is you against the world so embrace your beauty! Stay lovely and beautiful ladies.