My morning routine is pretty simple: brush my teeth, wash my face, do my hair and makeup, get dressed, and maybe have a cup of coffee. While this seems pretty standard, I've been ridiculed far too many times about the time I spend on my appearance.

In the past, a lot of people tell me that my eye makeup routine is "not necessary." Their only logical explanation for my actions relating to my looks is that I'm trying to impress someone. These people are sadly mistaken and are the type of people I do not need in my life. They only bring me down. Why do we live in a society where it is assumed that girls can't do anything without the purpose of getting a guy to notice them?

When I get up in the morning with a full day ahead of me, I almost ALWAYS take about 25 minutes to fix my hair and do my makeup to my pleasing. While this could seem excessive, I do this for one reason and one reason only... for me. I genuinely enjoy the time I spend getting ready. It's relaxing, calming, and an easy way to collect my thoughts before I dive right into a busy day. This is a FUN activity that actually brings me a small amount of joy, no matter how tired I am.

Don't get me wrong, I have my days where I put zero effort into the way I look. I'll leave the house in nothing but sweats, without a stitch of makeup on my face, and my hair in a messy bun. How is it that I can go from one extreme to the other? Because I don't care about what others have to say about my looks. Sure, there are special occasions and circumstances where it is important to present yourself a certain way. But other than that, everything concerning my looks is all done for me. I love the way I look with makeup on, and I don't need compliments to reassure that. By the same token, I'm confident when I have nothing on my face to hide behind.

With this being said, I think it is important that no one is ridiculed for their looks at all. When I see a girl in my 9 a.m. class who wears a full face of makeup and had her haired perfectly straightened I think to myself, "You go, girl!" When I see a girl at 2 p.m. still in her pajamas, I think, "good for you!" I'm not the only girl out there who cares about her looks for her own pleasure only. Us girls need to stick together and support one another instead of jumping to conclusions about something so vain as to how someone else looks.