Make-up is something that a girl encounters on a daily basis, right? Well, that's the case for most girls, but not for me. I'm commonly seen without a drop of make-up on my face. If I do take the time to put it on, I'm usually just wearing mascara. Sometimes I actually take the time to put very minimal face makeup, and maybe, just maybe, some eyeliner. But only if you're lucky. This is just a personal preference of mine. There is nothing wrong with girls having fun with their makeup and wearing it every day. What is wrong is the way that we as a society view make-up.

From a very young age, we are exposed to make-up. I remember seeing sixth-grade girls curling their eyelashes and doing their mascara and applying lip gloss in the lobby of my middle school. I thought that when I was in 6th grade, I would be expected to wear make-up too. I never gave into the pressure.

I believe that we pressure young girls to start wearing makeup too early. These girls haven't gone through puberty yet, and some of them haven't even become a young woman if you know what I mean. So, why are these girls expected to participate in a grown-up activity like waking up earlier every morning just to apply a fresh coat of mascara and put blush on their face? Girls begin covering up their adorable freckles and stubborn pimples just way too early. There is nothing wrong with having fun, but this type of outlook makes things worse as these young girls grow up.

As a girl grows up, she is expected to wear more and more make-up on a daily basis. Soon, she starts to look like a completely new person. This habit that started in 6th grade stays with the girl all the way through high school. See something wrong with this picture? If you don't yet, think about when you see someone without make-up and your first reaction is to automatically think that the girl is tired. Or perhaps you didn't recognize someone when you saw them without their make-up on. I have to admit that I have had this happen several times.

It is sad that we are told to wear so much makeup every single day that people no longer recognize us when our natural beauty is shown. It is sad that when I was a freshman in high school, I was told that I would never get a boyfriend if I didn't start wearing make-up every day. It is sad that girls feel obligated to wear make-up so people won't ask them the dreaded questions: "are you tired?" or "are you sick?"

I challenge you today to go natural. Show your beautiful skin, even if you have acne or freckles. You are beautiful inside and out. If you feel like you can't go natural, then I challenge you to change the way young girls' view makeup. Let them know that they are not obligated to wear this if they do not want to. Let them know that you can succeed and live a happy life without having to worry about wearing make-up. Let them know that you can love doing makeup and live a happy life. Let them know that they can decide on their own what their stance on makeup is, and tell them to do whatever truly makes them happy.