Makeup: More than meets the eye..
Make up has changed the way I see myself. I have worn makeup for dance concerts once or twice a year growing up but only as a form of dramatic expression for the stage. Make up was never in my daily routine. It was through dance concerts and eisteddfods that I learnt how it could be used to transform a face and tell a story.
As a 21 year old woman, I have grown up in a society where our social media presence can determine our self worth. The scrutiny on women's bodies and appearance that has become engrained within our society has dictated a certain formula for young women to follow to be considered beautiful. I don't think I was ever truly effected by the slender models I saw on the covers of magazines in the way that many of the girls my age were, but that isn't to say their images didn't resonate with me. I understood I would never look like them, but I did however, seek to find my true definition of beauty.
My mother wore makeup, not like the women in pages of magazines, but in a way that transformed her naturally beautiful complexion, accentuating her 'put together style'. She always exhibited an aura of confidence in her own style and that to me was an expression of her beauty. This transformed her into someone I saw as undeniably beautiful. Let me emphasise here that I am not saying that women or men that don't wear make up aren't beautiful, it is just the way in which I saw my mother with makeup that I really saw and appreciated her beauty.
As I stumbled through my teen years, I wore makeup to cover up and hide my freckles and imperfections, it acted as a shield, protecting me from the eyes of people I wanted to impress. For me, in that moment it was absolutely necessary to wear something on my face in order to feel beautiful. However, this mindset was one of a teenager, obsessed with fitting and moving with the trends of society, not a developed, thoughtful or realistic view of women's beauty.
From then, to now, the process has been long but the changes I see in myself are more important now then ever. As the expectations of our society are being called out and challenged by free thinking and empowered women and men more than ever before, isn't it only justified that our own personal expectations and beliefs are also challenged? I have been forced to look at myself from another perspective, one that doesn't focus on what I see on the surface. I now consciously try to change the way I react to a picture I see of myself that I may not like, try to encourage confidence in myself when I look in the mirror and really empower myself to looks past my flaws on days I really just don't feel beautiful.
This is where make up comes into it for me. It is more than just a cover up. I find it incredibly empowering! Think of it this way; our face is a canvas. We can use creams, powders, colours and inks to transform it into something that fills us to the brim with confidence. This can be different for everyone. I feel most confident when I have spent some time blending eyeshadow and winging out some eyeliner. But on most days, a simple application of foundation and mascara, maybe a bit of bronzer and I feel like I can take on anything the world will throw at me. When people comment what someone else's makeup looks like, I can't help wonder how it affects them and why it is important to them. Does someone's effort to feel confident affect their own self esteem? If you ever feel like someone is making you feel uncomfortable for your choice to wear makeup, its not a reflection on you, its a reflection on that individuals own insecurities.
So dust that eyeshadow over those lids, rock that bold lip and wing out that eyeliner for the world to see (or you know, just you!). Do what ever makes you feel strong, confident and empowered. Because when it comes down to it, you should never let someone else's definition of beauty define your own.
xo A.
"Just because a girl wears makeup doesn't mean she's insecure. It means she wants to enhance the bomb ass b*tch that she is." - @sarcasm_only
