Last week, my friends and I debated whether we should wear make-up to class. Half of us responded that we do, and half of us responded that we do not. After this, I turned on Olivia Rodrigo’s new album and the first song that came on was “pretty isn’t pretty”. The lyric of this song that stuck with me the most was “I could try every lipstick in every shade but I’d always feel the same”. After hearing this I knew it was a sign. The dilemma for many of the girls and women of America that no one ever knows the answer to.
I was the girl who woke up every morning in high school and put on makeup. Not only because I believed it made me look better, but because it woke me up more. Ever since arriving in my freshman year of college every single day has been different. Somedays, I wake up and say I need it due to a stress breakout or not enough sleep the night before. But other days I say “I am just going to throw my glasses on and that is good enough for me today”. Choosing what to do is one of the absolute hardest decisions ever, at least for me. I know it may sound cliche but insecurities are a real thing. When I look at myself in the mirror on a Saturday night with a full face of makeup on is when I feel best, but that does not mean that I do not think I’m good enough without makeup.
Some of my friends do the absolute opposite of me though. They just put on clothes and leave for class in the morning. I asked them how often they wear makeup, and they say only once in a while for special occasions like going out to dinner or with formal attire. Listening to this point of view helped me understand the other side. I always wished I could be that free about wearing makeup. And then it hit me that just is not me. I will always be the girl who will get dressed up if she has the ability to. I will always be the girl who wants to wear heels with just a simple pair of jeans. Makeup is just one way I decide to dress up my look.
In the end, no one knows what the actual ‘correct’ answer is. It translates to what makes you feel more comfortable in your life. Just because someone chooses to wear makeup to class every day does not mean they do not feel good enough without makeup or vice versa. I think we stereotype way too much in this society. We assume just because someone does something, that it means they feel a certain way. One thing that I have learned is to not let what other people think control your decisions. If you want to wear something or not wear something it should have no effect on another person’s life. Stick to what makes you happiest at the end of the day, and put your own feelings first.