As a makeup lover and connoisseur, I’ll be the first to tell you to do whatever you want to your face whether you choose a dramatic or natural look. Your makeup is a great way to express yourself and I believe you should be able to do whatever you want, without judgment.
How many times have you heard “That girl’s not that pretty without all that makeup?” Or a before and after makeup picture with the caption “This is why I take a girl swimming on the first date.” Makeup shaming is done by men and women, even sometimes when we don’t realize it. In the past couple of years, thanks to social media, it has gone too far. Due to social media and the pressure to constantly look flawless, many people look down on those who don’t appear to have the perfect “Instagram look,” when in reality that perfect selfie took hours, with the perfect lighting and expensive makeup.
It seems that there will always be a catch-22 regarding makeup and the “acceptable” amount to wear. If you don’t wear makeup, you look “too tired”. If you go with a natural makeup look its “not enough.” When you do go for a dramatic makeup look its “too much.” In addition to this, women are being called out for wearing makeup as way to impress others and if you do not wear makeup at all you do not respect yourself. How many times have you heard “Who are you looking all nice for?” No matter what you do, or how much makeup you put on, there is always going to be someone criticizing you.
Lovers of makeup took a shot back at the critics by hash tagging #ThePowerOfMakeup. This hashtag was created by makeup artist Nikkie de Jager, who wanted to show that she was the same amazing woman with or without makeup and that what she puts on her face does not solely define her as an individual or measure her worth.
In her video, she does only half of her face with makeup on. As a popular makeup guru, her hashtag exploded and inspired thousands of women to do the same. In her video she states “I’ve been noticing a lot lately that girls have been almost ashamed to say that they love make-up, ’cause nowadays, [if] you say that you love make-up, you either do it because you want to look good for boys, you do it because you’re insecure, or you do it because you don’t love yourself.”
In my opinion, makeup shaming has gone too far. I encourage those who love makeup to be creative, do whatever you want, and do not let the opinion of others affect you. Whatever makeup you chose (or don't choose) is up to you!
