I remember being a little girl and always sneaking into my mom's bathroom to put her lipstick on. I was so fascinated then with the way she would put her eyeliner, mascara and lipstick on. I just wanted to do the same thing.
Sadly, I had to wait about seven or eight years until I was in middle school to actually start wearing makeup. And when I was in middle school, "wearing makeup" meant wearing way too much eyeliner and that's about it. So that's what I did, and even though I look back now and cringe, I thought I looked fantastic back then. But I loved it, and that's all that matters.
Now, I'm known as a sort of makeup lover/junkie/connoisseur. I count my winged eyeliner as one of my greatest accomplishments. I own more makeup currently than most of my friends will own in their lifetimes. I do my makeup nearly every single day. And with this comes the questions: "Why do you wear so much makeup?" "Don't you think you're prettier without makeup?" and my favorite statement of all time, "You don't need to wear so much makeup."
They're right. I don't need to wear makeup. Here's the catch: I want to. No one goes around asking boys why they wear basketball shorts every day; they know the answer, and it's because that's what makes those boys comfortable. Makeup makes me comfortable, and it's something I love doing, so why not embrace it?
I'm not someone who can't go out without makeup on, but I understand those who can't. For some it's like wearing glasses: they physically can't function without it. And that's OK. I repeat: it is absolutely OK to need makeup.
I think it's amazing that something as minuscule as a black line on your eyelid can make you feel better about yourself. I'm all about loving yourself at all costs above anything else, and if eyeliner or lipstick or a bomb contour can help you do that, I'm all for it.
So for anyone who criticizes or questions me for choosing to wear makeup all the time, think about what you do to make yourself comfortable. Whether it's dyeing your hair, wearing sweatpants or staying glued to your phone, think about how you'd feel if people were constantly telling you, "Oh, you don't need to do that to be pretty/confident/liked!"
I am the only one who can determine what makes me feel confident. If it's makeup, then that's what I'm going to do. I love to do it, I want to do it and I know my 5-year-old self would think I'm so cool, so who's the real winner here?
