I love my skin. I love my freckled nose and my rosy cheeks. I love my pores and my pimples. I love going to class barefaced, but I also love long, dark lashes and a glowing highlight. So, when I wear makeup I’m not telling the world that I am embarrassed by the way I look– of who I am. I’m definitely not saying that I am less intelligent, and therefore need to compensate for it through my appearance. No. I wear makeup because I want to. It’s as simple as that. Yes, I may wear a flirty pink lipgloss if I am sitting next to the cute boy in econ, but while he may like it, I initially put it on to raise my own self confidence. Above that, swiping a little wing across my lash line every now and again is just a fun self care move. That’s the beauty of makeup. We can make ourselves look as glamorous as we want, and if other people happen to like it then that’s just a plus. Welcome to the 21st century, where we’ve come too far as a society to regress to a point where women are berating other women for expressing themselves. Beating your face with makeup, or even wearing none at all, does not measure the power of a woman. Instead, it shows the varying extent to which women can empower others as well as themselves. If anything, we should be looking to use the beauty industry to elevate other professional women. Brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Huda Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and BeautyBlender are all founded by strong, empowering women who undoubtedly deserve all the support and admiration in the world for absolutely thriving in their field. Who are we as women to overlook a #girlboss no matter what industry she’s in?