One morning in high school, I overslept my alarm. With only about ten minutes to get ready, I did the bare necessities: brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and threw on the nearest clothes I could find, slipping on my backpack to rush out the door. I didn’t have the time to put on makeup. In second period, John did a double take at me and said, “Wow, you look tired.”
The irony was that I actually slept an extra hour that morning, but to him my natural under eye bags looked like exhaustion. In the moment, I didn’t find his comment that big of a deal, yet since that day I don’t think I’ve ever left the house without wearing concealer—it has become just a part of my morning routine as brushing my teeth or putting on shoes.
You see, I love …show more content…
And even makes me re-evaluate the word itself: “make-up.” Are we making up for something by wearing it? When I google its definition, the first definition states: “cosmetics such as lipstick or powder applied to the face, used to enhance or alter the appearance.” It sounds about right, but the word “alter” makes me pause. I’m sure I’m overthinking this, like most things, but I wonder why some days I almost feel bad for not “altering” my face at all.
I know plenty of girls who have no problem going through their day with a bare face. And I know other girls, like my roommate, who worship makeup and view it as an art. I guess its different for every female, and different in every context, but I know that sometimes I put on makeup in fear I’ll look lesser without it. But to who exactly will I look lesser?
Makeup is such a personal choice—when to put it on, how much to put on, or whether to put it on at all. I just pray that we aren’t dipping our faces each morning to appease some societal expectation. It is fun and mindless, and it gives us confidence, but it should be used for just that. And the moment we start putting it on for any other purpose other than ourselves, is the moment we must put down our makeup
The irony was that I actually slept an extra hour that morning, but to him my natural under eye bags looked like exhaustion. In the moment, I didn’t find his comment that big of a deal, yet since that day I don’t think I’ve ever left the house without wearing concealer—it has become just a part of my morning routine as brushing my teeth or putting on shoes.
You see, I love …show more content…
And even makes me re-evaluate the word itself: “make-up.” Are we making up for something by wearing it? When I google its definition, the first definition states: “cosmetics such as lipstick or powder applied to the face, used to enhance or alter the appearance.” It sounds about right, but the word “alter” makes me pause. I’m sure I’m overthinking this, like most things, but I wonder why some days I almost feel bad for not “altering” my face at all.
I know plenty of girls who have no problem going through their day with a bare face. And I know other girls, like my roommate, who worship makeup and view it as an art. I guess its different for every female, and different in every context, but I know that sometimes I put on makeup in fear I’ll look lesser without it. But to who exactly will I look lesser?
Makeup is such a personal choice—when to put it on, how much to put on, or whether to put it on at all. I just pray that we aren’t dipping our faces each morning to appease some societal expectation. It is fun and mindless, and it gives us confidence, but it should be used for just that. And the moment we start putting it on for any other purpose other than ourselves, is the moment we must put down our makeup