I can remember when I first started wearing makeup. I was five years old and I had to travel to different states for dance recitals. That was stage makeup so it is compulsory to put on a bit of colour on your face. I remember that giddy feeling in my stomach when I looked in the mirror and I felt like a movie star or a famous pop singer when they added lipstick and mascara on my face.
I can also remember there was a phase of my life where I was very dependent on makeup. I was 16 to 20 years old, and I always thought the only way to look flawless or look fabulous like the models on the magazine covers is to cake on tons of makeup. My friends were starting to wear it too, and it only seemed normal to do so.
This is where the problem starts. Having to put makeup on has become a deceptive notion that we need make up to be or feel complete. I started off not loving myself at a young age and going with an appearance that isn’t truly who I really am. I learned to love an image in the mirror, the image of me with even toned skin with winged and defined eyes. That was the only me I wanted to see. I loathed what I really look like.
See the problem right there?
I started wearing makeup before I even have a chance to know who I am without it, let alone love myself without it. The truth is that being without make up isn’t backwards and wrong, our mindsets are. It isn’t about whether or not you choose to wear makeup; it’s about the reasons that you do so. Most girls would be embarrassed to be seen at the store by someone they know without their makeup on. Many girls have felt the need to cover up their wrinkles, the moles on their faces, blemishes and anything deemed an imperfection. Many girls have seen a person who normally wears makeup without it and they felt they looked wrong.
I feel that there is an importance of establishing a love for yourself. If I am a mother or a female role model of any kind, the moment I start allowing young girls to wear makeup is not a fun little milestone, it is a responsibility- Because I have already given the kind of influence to someone who’s trying to build their confidence amongst all of the other changes with their body. So girls, start with yourself, make little changes to love yourself even more and embrace your flaws because you are unique that way. Start showing your true face to the people around you, let makeup be a choice and not a necessity. I am doing this because I know I deserve that confidence and I never want to let my insecurities affect women of any age that are in my life, including my future daughters. I want to keep changing for the better and inspire all strong and beautiful women out there to do the same. Let people love you for who you really are underneath all the makeup.
I am not saying that you have to cut makeup out of your life completely. You have to live with the mindset that it is just an addition to your natural beauty, not something that is necessary to complete it. Keep shining through your inner and true beauty.