I recently found a video by a YouTuber named Em Ford (also known as My Pale Skin) where she showed everyone different comments that she got when she took her make up off and when she put it back on (you can watch the video here). I was disturbed by some of the comments that she received and awed by the bravery she showed in posting the video. The video got me thinking about the word beauty and the pressure put on women today. We use the word beauty so much that sometimes I am not even sure what it means anymore, so I went to the dictionary and looked it up. According to The Merrian-Webster Dictionary, beauty is defined as qualities that give pleasure to the senses or exalt the mind. To me that just means that everyone’s definition of beauty can be different because everyone has their own feelings and thoughts.
Often times the words beauty and perfection are clumped together, like they mean the same thing. But why would we have to be perfect and beautiful? The word perfect in the same dictionary means to be “without fault or defect.” Humans are neither of those things. We have faults even though we are addicted to the idea of being perfect. So why can’t we just be beautiful because we are imperfect? Human beings are not meant to be perfect and maybe to feel beautiful we have to accept that our flaws are what make us beautiful. If we were all perfect, then everyone would be the same and no one would be interesting.
Why is it that when the YouTuber took her make-up off people commented that she was disgusting but when she put it back on people commented that she was trying too hard? You thought she was pretty before she took her make-up off. Why does that have to change because of some pimples? Nobody has perfect skin. Sometimes we get pimples or blemishes, sometimes our skin gets angry and red and sometimes we have really bad acne. We are not perfect and our skin shouldn’t have to be either. So why are we striving so hard to be perfect? Where do we draw the line? Why shouldn’t we wear make-up because we like to wear it and not because we have to? Why are we trying so hard to hide the imperfections that make us who we are? Women should wear make-up because it makes them feel good and because they like to wear it.
Why does wearing make-up all of the sudden mean that we are trying too hard? Make-up might cover something up, but it doesn’t hide everything. All it does is enhance the beauty that is already there. I couldn’t say it any better than Gabourey Sidibe one of the stars from the film “Precious,” One day I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl. I wear colors that I really like, I wear make-up that makes me feel pretty, and it really helps. It doesn’t have anything to do with how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see.
Why do people have to make such hateful comments about women who do or do not wear make-up? And why are women the biggest culprit of the hate, trying to make other women feel bad about their appearance? All of that really needs to stop. You have to think about what you are doing before you comment on other people’s photos or videos. Every time you post something you have to remember that there is another person just like you behind that screen: A living, breathing human being who has thoughts and feelings. Think about how you would feel if someone told you that you were ugly and trying to hard. Yes, I know the old saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.” But lets face it words can hurt. They can sting and sometimes they stick with you for far too long hiding in the back of your mind, waiting. They wait for the right moment and strike you when you are down. And sure you can try to say that they only hurt if you let them, but sometimes pushing them away doesn’t work no matter how hard you try. All you can do is accept yourself for who you are and try not to let your own words or other people’s words sneak in.
We are perfectly imperfect people and that is what makes every single one of us so beautiful. Audrey Hepburn once said, The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. We have to find the beauty from inside ourselves and learn to love ourselves for who we are. Every woman in this world is beautiful, she just has to see it for herself. Find your beauty, figure out what you want, why you do or do not wear make-up and once you do that don’t let anyone tell you who you are. Because once that happens there is no stopping you. Wear make-up or don’t wear make-up because it is your choice. Be you and only you because that is what makes you so beautiful. Whatever you do own your skin whether it’s flawless or not.
