On May 31 2016, singer-songwriter Alicia Keys announced in her online "Lenny Letter" that she was embracing the "#nomakeup" movement. She talks about how wearing makeup would make her conform to the classic images of women in society, that all were alike and all covered their face with products to look "pretty," according to societal standards. Being someone that doesn't wear makeup at all, I supported her, and welcomed her to the life of having 10+ minutes during the day for either sleeping in late in the morning, or just having extra time for doing what you want during the day. Though, also being someone that has never worn makeup, I don't understand what people mean by the "No Makeup Movement."
Despite popular belief, there are plenty of women who don't wear makeup and you may not even realize it. For example, in the mornings, my facial routine consists of going to the bathroom and wiping my face with a washcloth although, occasionally people ask my if I wear mascara due to my longer and thick eyelashes. I explain to them that I don't wear makeup, and they go about their day as usual. To them, it's not a huge movement put in place to advocate for girls to not wear makeup, it's just a choice.
It frustrates me to look on media platforms and see titles calling Alicia Keys the "founder" or the "leader" of the no-makeup movement. I'll say this once for the people in the back: Alicia Keys is not the first person in the world to not wear makeup. Because she is such a huge celebrity, the media chooses to credit her with the glory of an activity that is honestly a choice. Though it is not Alicia Keys doing it herself, it would honestly be relieving if she turned down the name and false statement, as she is just one of us people that perform this choice everyday.
Despite my actions of choosing to not wear makeup, I have no problems whatsoever with people choosing to wear makeup. In fact, the movement comes off as an "anti" makeup movement, something Alicia Keys denied believing. With this separation of people wearing/ not wearing makeup, there becomes even more social divide and more conflict attributed to these populations. All in all, everyone around the world is beautiful. Though society puts in ideal images of what it truly means to be "beautiful," what really matters is your own interpretation of the world. Whether wearing makeup or not, what really matters is the real you underneath it all.
"I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within."
- India Arie
