When I was in eighth grade, my middle school — a public charter school that taught grades K through 12 — passed a rule that students (girls) that weren't in high school couldn't wear makeup to school. At the age of thirteen, a year away from high school, I was extremely bothered by the rule for reasons I couldn't quite understand yet. At that point in my life, I wasn't wearing much makeup anyway. However, I was irritated that I couldn't wear makeup when I wanted to. When I got older, I realized that my issue with the rule was mostly that I didn't like the school deciding what I was allowed to do based on my age. At thirteen, I should have been figuring out my own moral code with the guidance of my parents, not the guidance of my principal and teachers.
Now that I'm 19 and a legal adult, I've made the choice not only that I will wear as much makeup as I want, whenever I want, but I will allow other people to as well. Too often I see people telling women of all ages that they are wearing too much makeup and that they would look better without it. If they aren't telling women they're wearing too much makeup, they're telling them they're wearing too little makeup. The truth is, and I will say it again and again, people don't want women to wear no makeup- they want them to wear makeup that "looks natural". We really can't win with makeup. You wear it, and it's false advertising. You don't wear it, and people say you're ugly. You can't simultaneously shame people for wearing makeup and tell them they have to wear it to look attractive.
While women face judgment no matter their choices, men are not socially allowed to wear makeup at all. If a man wears makeup, he is immediately seen as "gay" or made fun of for being "too feminine" This brings up several issues. First, the idea that calling someone gay is an insult is as ridiculous as shaming someone for liking a certain type of music, or insulting someone based on their other likes or dislikes. The sexuality of a person isn't something that is bad. It's just part of who a person is. The second issue with calling a man "too feminine" is that it not only enforces the idea that being "feminine" or a woman is bad, but also reinforces the idea of toxic masculinity and "The Man Box", or the idea of what men need to be- strong and hyper masculine. There is no reason that makeup is inherently feminine.
Overall, everyone needs to understand that you can't make the whole of society happy, so do what you want. Contour your face. Wear blue eye shadow no matter your age. Put on bright red lipstick at ten in the morning. Wear natural makeup. Wear no makeup at all. Wear makeup if you identify as a male, no matter your sexuality. Makeup is an art form, and what you do with your face doesn't have any impact on other people, so do what you want and mind your own damn business.
