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| Me with makeup |
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| Me without makeup |
From around the end of January to the beginning of March, I decided to go makeup free. It wasn't for any particular reason. I thought to myself "I wonder what it would be like to go without makeup for a good and long amount of time. Would people notice? Would I stop feeling so self conscious? Would it be easier or harder for me?" So eventually I decided to go for it; it was only a month, so I figured I didn't have anything to lose in that time! On my first day of going completely natural, I thought surely people were going to be completely surprised by my natural face, and that at least someone was going to end up saying something. In actuality however, it seemed as though people didn't notice! I can't lie, I was quite surprised. I made the assumption that people would comment on my appearance, ask things like "did you do something different to yourself?" or "what happened to your face?" or even the classic "you look tired." But no, none of that. Everyday life went on, even with my bare and exposed face.
The first few days of going without makeup was a challenge for me. While I wore a minimal amount of makeup in the first place, I felt that I absolutely needed it to feel good and confident. I began to learn how ironic the idea was, since feeling the obligation to wear makeup was what made me feel less confident.
Don't get me wrong, I am a big advocate of makeup, it's a way to express yourself, accentuate your features, and feel good about yourself. I have no problem with people who wear a lot of makeup nor do I have any problems with people who don't wear a drop of makeup. What I'm not a fan of, however, is the idea of needing makeup to feel happy. Many times, especially as a high schooler, I encounter many people who say "I could never go out without makeup" or "I'm too ugly to do that to myself." As if wearing makeup is their default self and anything less is their "ugly self." Even I at one point felt that way as well.
But eventually I learned that makeup shouldn't reflect on how smart, successful, or hard working you are, and neither should it reflect on your beauty. Going without makeup saved me time, money, and make me feel better about my "bare and exposed" face.
Ladies and gentlemen, learn to appreciate your natural selves. It may be a long and hard process, but the outcome is worth it.
The first few days of going without makeup was a challenge for me. While I wore a minimal amount of makeup in the first place, I felt that I absolutely needed it to feel good and confident. I began to learn how ironic the idea was, since feeling the obligation to wear makeup was what made me feel less confident.
Don't get me wrong, I am a big advocate of makeup, it's a way to express yourself, accentuate your features, and feel good about yourself. I have no problem with people who wear a lot of makeup nor do I have any problems with people who don't wear a drop of makeup. What I'm not a fan of, however, is the idea of needing makeup to feel happy. Many times, especially as a high schooler, I encounter many people who say "I could never go out without makeup" or "I'm too ugly to do that to myself." As if wearing makeup is their default self and anything less is their "ugly self." Even I at one point felt that way as well.
But eventually I learned that makeup shouldn't reflect on how smart, successful, or hard working you are, and neither should it reflect on your beauty. Going without makeup saved me time, money, and make me feel better about my "bare and exposed" face.
Ladies and gentlemen, learn to appreciate your natural selves. It may be a long and hard process, but the outcome is worth it.
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