The stigma of makeup and why it should be overcome.
Both men and women have been utilizing the beauty enhancing tools of makeup; a practice that dates back further than Ancient Egypt.
"The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else's highlight reel" -Steve Furtick.
In today’s culture, people see wearing makeup as a way of covering up insecurities and flaws. Yet when young girls wear makeup for the first time, they do not see themselves as flawed, but rather they are experimenting with new products--young boys experiment with their mother’s makeup at young ages as well. They are not trying to mask a lack of confidence, but rather explore the features of their face.
The connotations of makeup these days imply that women are insecure with themselves and feel as though they should hide their features, or try to alter them to match what the media portrays. Media portrayal has come in the way of makeup’s allure. Since the media plays a huge role in the ideals of beauty, many makeup products are designed in order to provide a certain visual aesthetic.
As a Freshman in high school, I never wore makeup in an effort to avoid being “fake”, but I was no less nor no more satisfied with the concept of natural beauty. I used to believe that they were too insecure with themselves, and wore makeup in an effort to fit in. I soon realized that wearing makeup does not have much relation to insecurity, nor conceitedness.
Some may see the act of wearing makeup as vain. In order to apply makeup, one must stare at themselves in the mirror, and apply beautifying materials to themselves. It can be seen as an inflation of the ego--to put so much effort into a physical appearance. But makeup can be empowering. It allows burn victims to feel like themselves again when looking in the mirror. It is mostly empowering in the sense that it allows people to become intimate with their face, and become comfortable with themselves. And once you reach a certain point of comfort with yourself with makeup on, then you begin to feel the same comfort without it.
