I am the last person who should be talking about beauty and fashion.
I am not the person who wears makeup to every class. I don’t fret when my t-shirts are wrinkled. I rarely remember to take my makeup off before bed. I don’t own foundation. I own one brand of makeup that I have used since the seventh grade. I am allergic to almost everything.
Throughout my lifetime, I have gone through various stages of makeup use.
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Middle School/Early High School
When I first started wearing makeup in middle school, I liked to overuse my makeup. I bought the cheapest kind from CVS or Kroger and loved to wear it. My normal makeup tended to look much more like stage makeup than anything else.
I remember one day in middle school, I was wearing purple eyeshadow and black eyeliner. One of my brother’s friends asked me if I had a black eye after lunch. I didn’t.
Thankfully, I grew out of the horrible one shade eyelid and thick black lines that I was sure made my eyes look bigger. (It didn’t by the way).
2. High School
In the middle of high school, I moved states and started at a new school. This new school was an all girls’ school, and it was not normal to wear makeup to school. I did on the first day and many people asked me where I was going after school. I was going home.
I soon fell into line with all the other girls in school and stopped wearing makeup all together. I soon fell in love with house shoes, much to my grandparents dismay.
I walked into the DMV one day wearing my house shoes. That fact did not go over well with the members of my family.
Fun fact: I took my picture at the DMV that day. One time someone told me that the person in the photo was not me and was most definitely male.
3. Now
I am better, I hope, when it comes to makeup. I have learned to be able to balance too much and nothing at all. I still hate trying new makeup. I hate being nervous that I am going to have an allergic reaction to it. I don’t wear makeup to class unless I have to go to work after class or I need to look presentable for a specific reason. I do make an effort to wear makeup each day of the weekend.
When it comes down to it though, makeup doesn’t matter. I don’t say that to discourage anyone from wearing makeup. I am not oblivious to the self-confidence boost that it gives or the excitement that some people have when trying new products. I simply say that because makeup doesn’t make up the person.
At Ole Miss, we have been going through sorority recruitment this past week. Yes, there is a stereotype that sorority girls are shallow. I don’t speak for everyone, but when I talk to a girl, I don’t remember her face, her makeup or her outfit. I remember what she said and who she talked about and her attitude when talking to me.
Who you are matters much more than what you look like.