You know those girls where no matter the time, the occasion or who else is around, they have foundation and a dramatic eyeshadow look going on? Hi, I’m one of those girls. There are very few occasions where you will see me without a stitch of makeup on my face, maybe if it’s late at night and I’m at home, maybe if I’m really sick and just trying to get through the day and maybe if I’m walking into Sephora to buy more makeup.
This isn’t because I’m insecure. Because I’m human, I do have insecurities, but I’m actually okay with how I look without makeup. I accept my face as it is naturally and I’m aware that others would accept it as well. But, and this is important, I like makeup. It is an industry that does capitalize on people’s insecurities, but it’s also an industry that promotes creativity, skill and just feeling yourself. I take genuine enjoyment in a well-blended smoky eye and a perfect winged eyeliner sends shivers down my spine. I’ve been passionate about makeup since I was a child circus performer, and the only time my mom would let me wear any makeup was for shows.
Even though I don’t wear makeup for hundreds of members in an audience anymore, makeup still feels like my armour. It’s become a ritual for me; while I paint my face in the morning I think about all that I’m planning on doing throughout the day, and that decides what my look is going to be. If I’m expecting a hard day, I wear heavier makeup. Wearing non-waterproof mascara on your bottom lashes is a great incentive to not cry, even if I’m writing a midterm.
There is an element to makeup that is fake, I fully acknowledge that. In fact, that’s one of the things I like the most about it, because a lot of our day-to-day lives are fake, or at least filled with social positions we need to fill. For example, I work as a waitress and it’s easier to slip into my customer service role if I feel like I’ve got my customer service face on. Or if I’m competing at a mock-trial competition, I’ll try to do professional makeup that screams competence (so, no glitter).
It’s common to change your look based on the needs of the day, but when I’ve had conversations with male or even female friends, there is a negative stigma surrounding girls who wear makeup, especially heavy makeup, daily. There is an underlying assumption that cakefaces are deeply insecure, that they don’t think they’re pretty enough to just go bare-faced into the world. Or that we’re high maintenance and shallow because of our decisions on how we choose to feel that we’re taking care of ourselves.
The end result is, I don’t believe my face is any of your business. I also don’t believe that you should be making any inferences on my self-esteem based on my, or anyone else’s, face. If I choose to spend my time, money and energy on giving myself the perfect contour, that is my choice to make. And, if you don’t take pleasure in makeup and heavily debate if you should put mascara on before a date, good on you! Because, frankly, your face is none of my business too.