We’ve all heard the comments: “She shouldn’t wear that. She’ll never find a husband like that. That’s not a woman’s job. She would be prettier without all that makeup” There is almost nothing that infuriates me more than criticism of a woman’s choices, especially if they are something as trivial as a wardrobe choice or something as personal as a choice of career. I am at an impressionable point in my life, and I don’t like the example that society is setting and the pressures placed upon me as a young woman.

"Why are you wearing makeup? Guys don't like that." - I hate when I get asked this. I didn’t realize my sole purpose in life was to live to impress and find a husband. You want to know who I am wearing makeup for? Myself. My choice to wear (or not wear) make up is just that- my own choice. Do you think I spent money buying Naked Palettes for a guy that can’t tell if I am wearing “tease” and “half-baked”? Okay so you think that my makeup is “false advertising” for guys? I didn’t realize I was a product or object that was being advertised--my mistake. I wear makeup because it is a self-expression, a form of art, and my own style. Just in the same sense, for those who chose to not wear makeup, it's their decision.

I have heard too often, "She is too thin/fat to wear that." What is the point in anyone saying something so hurtful? Can we just leave women (and men for that matter) alone about their bodies? I never like to hear anyone say she is too thin or too thick to be wearing that. I went 19 years of my life picking outfits based on what made me look thin and pretty, rather than wearing what I wanted. I realized only recently that I can wear whatever I like, and no one can tell me otherwise because I have no reason to be ashamed of my body. I don’t believe in the idea that being thin equals being healthy, and I would much rather see people promoting a healthy lifestyle and not just being skinny. This is why we have so many young guys and girls with eating disorders! So let’s stop the body shaming and idea of what is “pretty” and just promote overall good health. Women have more to worry about than having the “perfect body”.

I believe that God intends for us to simply be loving and decent human beings, so as long as my life decisions don’t hurt anybody, then why bother me about them. We always say that we are just a product of society, but what if society is just a product of us? Our actions and beliefs are what shape our society which means we have the capability to change the societal standards. Our generation is criticized for so many things, and wouldn’t it be amazing if we could succeed in changing these beliefs as generations before us have been attempting to do? There are so many more important issues than the appearances of women, and I would much rather be debating solutions to those than wasting energy warding off petty criticisms. More importantly, I think we would all be much happier if we kept our judgments to ourselves and learned to love ourselves for who we are, regardless of societal opinion.