Growing up, I didn’t wear makeup. By the time I was of age to start wearing it, I was at a school that didn’t allow girls to wear makeup or nail polish. Frankly, I didn’t see a problem with that. As a result of my middle school instituting that rule, girls didn’t grow up as fast as today’s girls typically do. Girls were still petty, but I didn’t see any of them coming to school with eye shadow on. I didn’t see any of my peers wearing makeup until I reached high school. I didn’t wear makeup myself until my sophomore year of high school, and I am thankful for that.
Now it seems that girls are wearing makeup at as young as 10 years-old. They do not need to be wearing that. We need to teach our girls from a very young age that they are beautiful; and that they do not need makeup to be beautiful or to gain respect. Girls don’t appreciate their natural beauty, and that is because we do not teach them that they should. We don’t teach them that they are enough without makeup. No, instead we set them in front of televisions that show makeup commercials and unrealistic expectations of what girls should look like. Instead, people are teaching girls that they can boost their self-esteem by covering up what they were born with. Instead, girls even tell each other that they need to put on a little makeup. I’ve heard girls tell each other that they need to put on a little blush or mascara. Why? Why do they need to do that exactly? Is there something they need to hide? No, girls do not need to hide anything. Whether it be their freckles, moles, dimples, or birth marks. Those make individuals unique. When I look at a girl that has a lot of makeup on, I think of how pretty she looks but then I wonder what she looks like with all of that taken off. I wonder if she likes wearing makeup, or if others have encouraged her to wear it.
I have heard girls talk about how awful they look without makeup on, and then the girls around them laugh and nod in agreement. That is not healthy at all. If a girl says to you that she looks awful without makeup on, then you should disagree and tell her that she looks awesome without it! Boost up her self-esteem. The fact that many do not do this-the fact that the media does not do this, only encourages girls to feel as if they are not beautiful without a little lipstick and eyeliner. EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL.
Ladies, I am not saying you should never ever wear makeup, heck I wear it sometimes. If you like wearing it and that’s your thing, go for it! Own it, sista. However, if you wear it because you feel like you aren’t pretty without it, well girl you are wrong. You are so wrong. Everyone has imperfections, and that is beautiful. Own your imperfections, appreciate and value them. I have a freckle under my lip that people tell me to cover up, but hey I like it and I have no intention of ever covering it up. No woman should feel as if she has to cover up an aspect of what makes her special. She should embrace it, and we should encourage her to do so.
To all of my fellow ladies out there: wear it or don’t wear it, but never forget that you don’t have to. You are naturally beautiful, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
