What is Real?
DISCLAIMER: This post is in no way degrading people who love to wear makeup. I just don't like how society dictates what they think looks good or bad in terms of appearances. These statements are based on my observations and opinions.
As my mom was dropping me off at college last week, she saw a black girl with shorts on. "Is she wearing pantyhose?" she said in disbelief.
"I don't think so Mama," I sighed. When we parked the car, Mama was able to get a better look at her. No, she wasn't wearing pantyhose. She said, "It's hard to know what's real and what's not in today's society." I nodded my head in agreement. Everyone is looking for something real amidst women with fake boobs and fake tans.
I have a friend in one of my classes that used to wear tons of makeup. She looked pretty, but she looked like she was entering a beauty pageant. She would get up at 6:30 AM each morning so that she had plenty of time to do her hair and makeup. * Note: I'm still friends with this person. I choose to see the beauty inside of her whether she's wearing makeup or not* Her personality, quirkiness, and her love of family are just some of the things that make her beautiful. One day she realized that too-- every piece of hair didn't have to be perfectly coiffed; she was already beautiful. Just thinking about how her perception of herself changed makes me smile.
The point I'm trying to make is that it's sad that girls think they have to look perfect to go to school or anywhere out in public. No one was perfect except Jesus. The media and magazines have set an unrealistic expectation of "beauty" in today's society. No celebrity's face is airbrushed when they wake up in the morning. They have wrinkles and the occasional pimple just like everyone else. I believe that makeup should enhance a person's beauty. I also feel like young women shouldn't be looked down upon if they don't want to wear makeup everyday.
It's empowering to be able to be yourself and not worry about what others think. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway.
What about you? Do you wear makeup everyday or just occasionally?
As my mom was dropping me off at college last week, she saw a black girl with shorts on. "Is she wearing pantyhose?" she said in disbelief.
"I don't think so Mama," I sighed. When we parked the car, Mama was able to get a better look at her. No, she wasn't wearing pantyhose. She said, "It's hard to know what's real and what's not in today's society." I nodded my head in agreement. Everyone is looking for something real amidst women with fake boobs and fake tans.
I have a friend in one of my classes that used to wear tons of makeup. She looked pretty, but she looked like she was entering a beauty pageant. She would get up at 6:30 AM each morning so that she had plenty of time to do her hair and makeup. * Note: I'm still friends with this person. I choose to see the beauty inside of her whether she's wearing makeup or not* Her personality, quirkiness, and her love of family are just some of the things that make her beautiful. One day she realized that too-- every piece of hair didn't have to be perfectly coiffed; she was already beautiful. Just thinking about how her perception of herself changed makes me smile.
The point I'm trying to make is that it's sad that girls think they have to look perfect to go to school or anywhere out in public. No one was perfect except Jesus. The media and magazines have set an unrealistic expectation of "beauty" in today's society. No celebrity's face is airbrushed when they wake up in the morning. They have wrinkles and the occasional pimple just like everyone else. I believe that makeup should enhance a person's beauty. I also feel like young women shouldn't be looked down upon if they don't want to wear makeup everyday.
It's empowering to be able to be yourself and not worry about what others think. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway.
What about you? Do you wear makeup everyday or just occasionally?
Comments
Sometimes I feel as though my non-participation in the feminine beauty is as vain as participation, because I am still using the rubric to measure myself - instead of defining something new for me, I'm using the old definitions to define myself, even if I am doing the opposite. I'm not sure how to do it any other way.