In today’s society, it is almost expected for women to wear makeup. You need to know how to do a perfect winged eyeliner, cut crease, and contour. Well, I’m here to say that I don’t wear makeup everyday and don’t plan to. The only time I apply some is for special occasions, and the style is as natural as it gets. Of course, if you love wearing makeup no matter the reason — go ahead and rock it!
Here are my reasons for deciding to break the societal norm of dressing your face up in layers of facial paint:
1) Wearing makeup around my eyes causes them to sting. Some people, myself included, have abnormally angled eyelashes that cause their eyes to be more sensitive to makeup and other face products.
2) Despite always trying to clean my face well after wearing makeup, I usually end up breaking out afterwards.
3) I feel confident when rocking a bare face. I’m a very down to earth person, and I feel like wearing my face naturally is another way of showing this. I like how I look and do not feel the need to change my appearance to appease other people’s standards of beauty.
4) I do not have to worry about the condition of my makeup when it rains or when doing spontaneous activities with my friends, because I don’t usually wear any. If I want to go swimming or go for a run, there is little I have to worry about.
For example, many girls had to be wary of their makeup sweating off during a cross country practice, but I had extra time to prepare for the actual running instead of caring about what was on my face. Plus, I don’t have to worry about messing up my makeup by touching my face.
5) I have extra time in the morning and at night by not having to apply or remove makeup. While many people spend their free time working on their look, I can read, study, or do a fun activity. Time is a valuable thing, and we only have so much of it in a day. I would personally rather use this time to complete other tasks!
6) I save money by not having to restock my makeup supply. Beauty products can be expensive and overpriced.
7) While there are many beauty products that are healthy for humans and the environment, there are also an innumerable amount that are harmful for both.
People should not be shamed and criticized for deciding to wear minimal to no amount of makeup. Not wearing makeup does not make you less of a lady, or sloppy, or disgusting as some people might have you believe. Some people might even believe you don’t take care of yourself because you decide to go out naturally without makeup. Others may believe you have a condition or simply don’t care at all about how you look — even if you do look amazing.
You always read articles about the importance of wearing makeup and finding the products that suit you best. Despite the astounding number of articles discussing why we need to wear layers of products, there are still a few articles discussing why we don’t need them.
While there are some people that view makeup as an art form, there are just as many people who use it to fit in. If your main reason for using it is because society says so, then you should look for a better reason or simply reevaluate your choice in the matter.
Stop letting others say you aren’t enough. Who cares if you have pimples or blemishes? Why do your eyes need to pop more than they already do?
If you desire to continue wearing makeup, go ahead and do what makes you happy! However, if breaking away from society’s expectations is what makes you happy, then join me in not wearing makeup. Once in a while, using makeup can be fun to try, but it is not something I personally enjoy or would want as a part of my daily routine.
Overall, do what makes you feel best about yourself — even if that means no makeup. Moreso, as a society, we need to work together to reconstruct our definitions of beauty. Makeup is not a necessity, and we should not be forced to feel like it is one.