Author | Sammi Rowell |
Photo credits to defactosalons.com
“Consider the fact that maybe…just maybe…beauty and worth aren’t found in a makeup bottle, or a salon-fresh hairstyle, or a fabulous outfit. Maybe our sparkle comes from somewhere deeper inside, somewhere so pure and authentic and REAL, it doesn’t need gloss or polish or glitter to shine.”
-Mandy Hale
I know by now that most of you will be expecting a joke article from me. Something short, easy to read, and good for a laugh, you know, like the opposite of schoolwork. But for this article, I wanted to be a little more serious and talk about something real. Not that the slow extinction of quality memes isn’t a very real problem because, believe me, it is. Today, however, I’d like to focus on a different sort of extinction. The extinction of girls’ self-confidence.
Let me ask you a question, do you wear makeup, and if so, why? Is it because you want to hide that one annoying pimple? Is it because your friends do? Or is it because it makes you feel pretty?
In retrospect, I started wearing way too much makeup far too young. I started wearing makeup around the time I was eleven. I didn’t have the slightest interest in it before then, but at my old school my friends all started wearing makeup and I didn’t. They made sure I noticed that. In an attempt to keep up with my friends, and in my mind, all the other girls in the world, I started sneaking out of my house with makeup on, then adding more and more. Trying to cover my face. Most of all, trying to feel pretty, trying to correct the mistakes on my face that I hadn’t been aware of until makeup advertisements brought them to light for me.
Sometimes I wonder how many of us would still wear makeup if it weren’t constantly being shoved in our faces. You see, makeup companies sell their products by advertising to women of all ages (starting young with tweenagers and going to people even as old as your granny). In an attempt to sell more products they have to create an “issue” that only their product can fix. ‘Got a pimple? We have concealer for that! Rosy cheeks? Color correctors galore! Want to define those cheekbones a little more? We have plenty of contour kits to shape your face any way you want! Oh, you don’t like your lip shape? A little lip liner will fix that right up!’ The list goes on.
Makeup should be used to enhance your natural beauty, not hide it.
Makeup companies start preying on girls from a young age before they have the chance to develop a sense of self-confidence. It only gets worse as we get older. From the time I was twelve until the time I was fifteen, I was adding on average, five new makeup products a year that I would wear almost daily! These companies exploit the fact that these girls haven’t fully developed their sense of self yet, and use makeup as ‘the answer to all their problems’, assuring them that ‘they are what they makeup’. It’s so sad that something that should be used to accent naturally beautiful features has become a mask for hiding those features.
Makeup is an art; it should be used as one, not as a crutch.
It’s almost heart-wrenching to see so many beautiful people covering their faces. And don’t you dare use the excuse ‘I’m not pretty’. You are. I know you are. Wanna know how? Because you were made in the Image of a beautiful, perfect God! That same God loves you so much and He knit you together with His very hands! And from what I’ve heard, that God doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t; He made you.
“Everyone is beautiful, even the ones who try to hide it behind makeup.”
-Alain Bremond-Torrent
Now, I’m not saying wearing makeup is evil, or a sin, or anything like that! In fact, now that I’ve come to use makeup as an art and form of self-expression, I’ve come to enjoy wearing it. It’s no longer a necessary, daily habit for me. I don’t have to wear it every day, and I no longer feel the need to put it on before I leave my room or every time I leave my house. It wasn’t easy to come to that point though; it took some work and I used to cringe at the thought of seeing my friends without having my makeup on. Then I realized, nobody cares. Nobody cares about some little pimple on your nose. Or if you blush too easily, or if you have dark circles under your eyes. To be completely honest, people don’t even really pay attention to that sort of thing! When this realization first hit me, it blew my mind wide open. I was so worried that people would be judging me for the little flaws on my face and it turns out nobody even notices them because we’re all too busy worrying about our own flaws!
Now if you’re all compulsive makeup wearers like I was, it would do you some good to get out and spend a day around friends and people not wearing makeup. Try it just once at least. Even if you just wear makeup occasionally it’s still good to not wear it; make it a point to skip a day. Not only is it good to give your skin the break, but it’s good for your mental health. It’s vital to learn to be comfortable in your own skin. You should be comfortable in your own skin; you were made in the image of the one, true God! Do me a favor and try something with me. The second Tuesday after we come back from break, wear no makeup, not even a little dab of concealer under your eyes or on that mischievous, diabolical little pimple. (NEWSFLASH We’re teenagers, we all have them) Just one Tuesday, that’s all. And those of you who don’t wear makeup every Tuesday (or some Tuesdays) I applaud your bravery and confidence! It’s hard to go in front of a group of your peers bare-faced.
You don’t need that makeup I promise, so fight the temptation! Sleep in an extra hour! Do something productive that morning instead of wasting time covering your natural beauty. Build your confidence up and tell yourself you don’t need it, because you don’t. Wear this as your act of defiance. Sure we have to wear itchy, ugly polos, but we don’t have to wear makeup! Show those makeup companies that their product isn’t your crutch! Just take this one baby step, that’s all I ask. It’s not as big a deal as you think, I promise, but it does make a big step in building your own self-confidence. And that I can promise you won’t regret!
I look forward to seeing all of your beautiful faces!
-Sammi
“Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear--
but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.” -1 Peter 3:3-4