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Women Should Wear Makeup for Themselves

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at VCU chapter.

Lately on social media there has been an overwhelming amount of “makeup shaming.” Men and women alike are judging women for wearing makeup, claiming it’s “false advertising.”

Recently, a musician named Jae Bass, tweeted about how he saw the singer/actress Zendaya without makeup and that how she looked scared him. He hadn’t seen the singer without makeup before and the second he did he considered all of the times he had seen her with makeup “false advertising.” In which Zendaya had the perfect response by showing the natural beauty that “scared” him:    

 

When it comes to makeup, some women find it a chore while others find it an essential.  If a woman goes makeup free, that’s her choice. She can rub her makeup free eyes and sport her natural features, don’t judge her for doing what she pleases and giving her skin a break. If a woman lives for new makeup palettes and the perfect cat eye, that’s a passion or a hobby, not her being fake and wanting to disguise herself. Makeup lets us create new looks and is art with your face as the canvas.

Makeup isn’t a must have to survive, like food, water or oxygen. Some women simply have the desire to wear makeup. We shouldn’t be wearing makeup to impress a guy because let’s be honest, men don’t care about our perfectly contoured cheeks or illuminating highlight. I’m not saying you shouldn’t get “dolled-up” for your first date with a guy, but after getting comfortable with someone wearing a full face of makeup is no longer about impressing them. You should know they like you for you with or without makeup.

When a woman spends a large amount of money on makeup products, don’t criticize her for investing in something she loves. Wearing a lot of makeup also doesn’t make a woman deceptive it can mean she’s a makeup lover, or maybe she wants to accentuate her features. She’s wearing it because she wants to not because she feels as if she has to.

As women, whether we choose to wear makeup or not, isn’t justification for men or fellow women to bash us. If we wear makeup, we are criticized as under a disguise and if we don’t wear makeup we are labeled as lazy or tired/sick looking. We should complement each other’s makeup game, and our fellow women as well as critics of the opposite sex should appreciate our natural beauty.

Women should wear makeup for themselves, not for society or anyone else. It doesn’t matter if you prefer us with makeup or not, that’s not your choice. Slay your makeup or your natural face, as long as you have self-confidence and inner strength nothing else matters.

Ashley is a Senior at Virginia Commmonwealth University majoring in mass communications concentrating in print & online journalism. She is the Senior Editor for Her Campus at VCU and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists at VCU. She is an avid coffee drinker, dog lover and dreamer. She hopes to one day be a reporter for a newspaper, magazine, or an online version of the two.
Keziah is a writer for Her Campus. She is majoring in Fashion Design with a minor in Fashion Merchandising. HCXO!