We all have a routine when we wake up every morning. For me, this routine involves taking a shower, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, and putting on my makeup. I do the same thing, in that order, pretty much every morning. The thing I enjoy the most is doing my makeup. Quite honestly, I never really thought about why I love makeup so much, especially since I have so much of it.
Makeup has been a part of society for quite a long time. Ancient Egyptian men and women used makeup to assert their status and compliment qualities associated with their gender norms. Today, we do things similar to that, and it has caused a little bit of backlash. While makeup can help those who wear it feel comfortable in their skin, it can also send the message that we need to look polished in order to function or be presentable. We see celebrities going barefaced on social media to communicate that beauty is evident even without makeup. Some cosmetic commercials have evolved to spread the same message. It’s no secret that the relationship we have today with makeup is complicated. Should women feel bad for wearing makeup every day? Do women who wear makeup do it because feel insecure? Why do people even wear it in the first place? These are questions I’ve heard and asked myself whenever I do my own makeup.
One obvious reason people wear makeup is because it’s confidence boosting. When you put makeup on, you are forced to look at yourself and study what you see. When you put things on your face, you’re attempting to highlight qualities of yourself that you appreciate. I know I can’t speak for everyone who wears makeup, so I’m going to use my experiences as an example. I’m not always the most confident girl out there, but I have my moments. One thing I do nearly every day is wear big, bold winged eyeliner. It always has to match and it’s always accompanied by some glitter in the corner of my eye and mascara. Why? I like my eyes. I like how eyeliner brings out their size and color. Wearing makeup is like communicating aspects of your personality. Lady Gaga and her bold looks, Rihanna and her highlight, Taylor Swift and her red lipstick….these are women who we see as powerful and there are things we remember about them because of how they choose to present themselves. Wearing makeup helps you see what’s beautiful about you helps you feel the confidence to communicate that beauty to others. It’s about putting your insecurities aside and putting pieces of yourself out there. It’s different, and I know that this may not always be the case, but in my opinion, makeup is a source of self-empowerment. Thatis beautiful.