'Teenage girl' and 'insecurity' compliment each other like thunder and lightning. Nowadays, girls spend more time in the mirror searching for anything that isn't an imperfection; we're bred to see the reflection in the mirror as someone we despise.
In 7th grade, whenever anyone pointed out a blemish on my face, I was never offended; until I realized that I was supposed to be. What was once classified as "changing hormones" spiraled into a new "teenage" lifestyle -- one that had no room for self-confidence or tolerance of imperfection, one that made looking people in the eyes a daunting task, and one that justified spending (at least) 20 minutes in the bathroom each morning before school.
And to the girls and women who can strut an all natural bare face, I applaud you, and to be honest, a part of me wishes I was you. But don't knock the girl who needs the extra 5 minutes in the bathroom to feel confident enough to get through the day. Is it counter productive to spend more time every day trying to feel less like you? Probably. But sometimes, that's what it takes.
To the girl who wears "too much" makeup,
Maybe you're the person who "cares too much about your appearance." Maybe this label hurts your feelings, maybe it doesn't. But when you look in the mirror, I can only imagine what you're thinking. The scars, pimples, imperfections; it's like they're plastered on a jumbotron for everyone to see. The moments when you wake up and look at your skin seems as if putting on a full face of foundation is simply your debt to society. In light of the Gigi Hadid's and Kendall Jenner's that walk the earth, how could you not feel insecure? How could you not wish for skin that was smooth and clear, and required no maintenance?
I don't have an answer to these questions, and I don't think anyone does.
But you're not going to suddenly find the confidence to love yourself embedded within Instagram posts or YouTube videos claiming to have the magical potion to clear your skin. So, packing on the makeup seems to be the only logical answer to not necessarily fix your skin, but maintain the misery at a manageable level. This lifestyle stems back from the society that feels entitled enough to tell a girl that the skin she has just doesn't seem to be good enough.
But where does this entitlement come from? The word "society" is, in my opinion, the most dehumanizing word of them all. It forces us to forget that we, too, are included in this 7 letter word, and fuel its strength. We get lost in the pictures of famous models and actresses, with their smooth and creamy skin; is there a time when they don't look perfect? And even when people say "but their pictures are so photoshopped," you can't help but wonder what it would be like to wake up with not an imperfection in sight. Since when has the idea of loving yourself become a lofty dream; one that is reserved for the ignorance of a child? We let ourselves get lost in the idea that there is some type of obtainable perfection out there, and that if we search hard and long enough, we will find it.
So: to the girl who wears too much makeup; why are you wearing makeup? Because it's fun to put on? Because you're trying to hide something? I'm not innocent here, and I'm not claiming to be some radical who is willing to walk into class exposing all of my imperfections with a clean face, but I'm asking you to consider your own motives.
The internet has somehow made it okay to mock the girls who try to cover their imperfections as if there is nothing worse then having your flaws plastered on your face. But will clear skin truly liberate you? To a lot of people, this is probably an obvious answer. But, we must consider that who we are is no different from a good skin day to a bad. What is more important than any high coverage foundation or miracle-acne-dissolving-drug is our own power to decide what affects us. Having the confidence to love yourself regardless of the spots and flaws is something that requires the true desire to want to love yourself. Sometimes redundancy is good because the constant reminder of that we're more than what other people think we should be is the only liberation we need.
