Frankly, I’m beyond tired of people shaming women for wearing makeup. I’ve heard all the rude comments, like claiming the person is insecure, trying to get attention and trying to “lie” to others about how they really look. Although in some cases, that might be true, let me tell you something that will blow your mind: the majority of women who wear makeup wear it for themselves, not for others. It isn’t rocket science.
If you think that a girl has way too much time on her hands if she comes into class, work, a meeting or whatever function with a full face of makeup, you obviously have no appreciation for artistry and aesthetics. Did it ever occur to you that makeup could be a fun way of expression, just like clothing choices? No? How about the fact that makeup is basically art for the human body and believe it or not, some people actually enjoy doing it, like drawing or painting?
Now let me tell you something else that will blow your mind: without makeup, your favorite movies and shows like “The Walking Dead” would simply lose their realistic quality. Makeup is a huge part of the film industry and is one of the essential elements for making people appear to be actually bruised and bleeding, or even make a middle-aged actor look 20 years older.
With that being said, I’m all for natural beauty and it’s extremely important to be content with your bare face, for self-esteem. However, it’s time to stop seeing makeup as deceptive powders and potions that turn frogs into princesses. We don’t have fairy godmothers who give us pixie dust to put on our faces that will make us prettier so everyone else will like us more.
Still, there are some women who choose to wear makeup because they are unhappy with their bare faces. As sad as that is, it’s not up to other people to tell them that they have too much time on their hands or that they are liars.
Here’s a fictional example. Let’s say that Sally has a bad case of cystic acne that she doesn’t want other people to see, because it’s embarrassing and she doesn’t want to deal with people lecturing her on how to take care of her skin or calling her gross. So to counter this, Sally wears a full layer of makeup every day to cover her bumps and hide the redness. When Sally goes out in public, she doesn’t feel as self-conscious about her condition, since it’s much less noticeable to everyone around her, which in turn makes her a happier person and helps keep her self-esteem up. Sally is doing what she needs to do to feel OK about herself, and that’s great. However, if Hannah comes along and tells Sally that she shouldn’t wear makeup because it makes her look like she’s starving for attention, Sally is going to feel conflicted once again and isn’t going to feel OK anymore. Hannah is rude. Don’t be like Hannah.
If you see a woman wearing bright red lipstick and winged liquid eyeliner, be happy for her. If you see a woman who doesn’t have a speck of makeup on her face in public, be happy for her. Ladies, whether you wear makeup for the artistic element, as a security blanket or don’t wear any at all, you’re beautiful and keep doing what you like to do. For those of you that think makeup is deceptive pixie dust, don’t be like Hannah.
Speaking of shaming, read here about another type of modern shame that people get fired up about.