When I was younger, I desperately wanted to learn how makeup worked. I begged my mom to buy me the pretty palettes and eye shadows we passed in the cosmetic section, and she would purchase things here and there because she knew I was interested. And I played with it. But I never really kept an interest. As time went by, I’d try to work with foundation and maybe mascara, yet I just didn’t feel that it suited me. I didn’t look like how I felt, and I wasn’t good at applying the stuff. Makeup, it turns out, isn’t something I’m passionate about.
That’s not to say I don’t think it’s an amazing thing – I do. I love that makeup empowers the people who wear it. I am highly impressed by my friends who can rock bright red lipstick and draw on the perfect eyeliner. To be honest, I think makeup is an awesome tool; if you want to wear it, you have every damn right. But that also works both ways. I shouldn’t be forced to wear it.
Over time (essentially starting in middle school), people have told me that a professional and clean-cut look for women requires makeup. While I certainly believe that part of a professional look can include makeup, I don’t believe it is required. As the daughter of a woman who has worked her way up to one of the highest positions within her section of the government with only a touch of lip color, I know that it is not makeup that has secured her position – it’s her drive, passion, skillset, and intelligence. I never watched her spend an extended period of time applying powder to her face in the mirror because that’s not how she gets ready in the morning. She washes her face, moisturizes, applies a natural lipstick, and is out the door.
She has plenty of coworkers who I know wear makeup to work. And plenty who don’t. This has not impacted their job statuses. Professionalism in the work place is so much more than that. It is about how you present yourself, yes, but this is more so about the fact that you take care of yourself, are clean, tidy, and wear clothes that reflect the job you hold (or want to hold).
Let’s not forget that a man would never be told he’s unprofessional for not wearing concealer to a job interview or mascara on a business trip. It’s a double standard through and through. People have insisted to me that to wear makeup is to be the best version of myself for job interviews, weddings, and the workplace. I believe that everyone has different versions of who they are as their best self, and makeup is most certainly part of this – just not for me specifically.
I was once forced to wear layers of foundation at a loved one’s wedding, and the reasoning used was that, “I would wear makeup on my wedding day,” wouldn’t I? I looked in the mirror and didn’t see who I wanted to portray myself as. I promptly tried to wash the stuff off. It just wasn’t me.
I can tell you right now that I do not feel my best self while wearing makeup. I actually feel quite the opposite. To wear makeup for me is to spend that extra 15 minutes I could be sleeping in front of the mirror. It’s money spent on products I don’t need to spend. And it’s not showing the world who I am most comfortable being. I know that my skin is very far from perfect. But I just don’t feel the need for me personally to wear the stuff.
I want everyone who wears makeup to know that I admire you for wearing what makes you feel most comfortable. Some days I only wish I could be more into makeup because I think it’s some magical stuff. It just isn’t for me. So I hope you know that I find it empowering that you wear it, and I hope you find it empowering that I don’t.
As for me, I will continue to interview for jobs and attend professional events without applying foundation or eye shadow. If and when I choose to get married, I most likely won’t have a touch of makeup on my face. To tell you the truth, I’m quite happy with that. I am so lucky to be a part of a community that supports me for not only who I am, but also how I choose to look. And however you decide to wear or not wear your makeup, I’m more than happy to support you.
*Writer’s note: I have been able to add and improve this article since its original publication to better show my purpose. Thank you for all of the feedback I have received since first writing it!*