'I don't use make up. I think it's pretentious to use it; only girls who are insecure use make up because they're not happy with how they look naturally.'
well hello there.
it's 2 in the morning and I am up with a cup of tea and good ol' indie rock music.
as I stare at my newly polished nails, I cannot help but spiral my unsleeping mind around the loosely quoted phrase above. shameless confession: I used to believe that; that natural beauty always wins. that only the insecure of the ultimate insecures would give in to the Godly creation known as make up. that i don't need make up. that i don't believe in make up.
now let's go to why i say used to.
i recapture a brief but unforgettable moment in random history when one of my good friends was questioned why she had make up applied. she always has some sort of make up on; a meek brush of eye shadow, a tint of lip gloss. i won't lie; i did stereotype her when we first got to know each other for the mere fact that she had coloured powder on her face. and the question that was directed to her sounded a little bit like:
'hey, are you wearing makeup?'
note that the word makeup was said in a higher pitch, thus, signalling a thought of disbelief and slight shock. and probably even the thought that make up is as ridiculous as eating vegetables.
her answer changed my narrow-minded viewpoints towards the idea of additional beautification as well as towards her. it goes somewhere along the lines of:
'yes i'm wearing make up. why? do you have a problem with girls who wear make up? i wear it because i like it, not because i'm trying to impress anybody. i'm wearing it for myself. plus, i think it's fun that i get to play around with colours. what's wrong with having fun and looking good? what is wrong with me wearing make up?'
firstly, she answered his condescending question with pure confidence. not the slightest slip of tongue nor stutter. in the back of my mind, i was giving her a round of applause like fuuihh. i have heard of strong replies to OMG-MAKE-UP-AH type questions but none that went to the extent of hers.
secondly,
it went to show that she was not the least bit insecure of herself. she was comfortable enough in her own skin to respond so fearlessly. she wasn't hiding behind the make up, in fact, it had nothing to do with what she had on her face. most people i know, including myself tend to shrug a little when directed a why-make-up? question. because 1)you can ask me bout stupid things like the weather and best place for milo ais but you choose to ask a blatantly irrelevant question? really? and 2)most of us feel like our intentions are being tested when asked the reason behind the appliance of some red blusher.
like it's some deadly sin to wear make up or something.
in my considerably-new opinion,
i think it's perfectly fine if you are a girl and you prefer to come off au naturale. hay hay, all hail fresh and clear skin man!
the problem is when you condemn those who don't. at the end of the day, if you choose to stick to the idea that you don't like additional beautification, then girls who apply make up have every right to like it. just because you think it's highly intellectual of yourself to say no to make up, it doesn't mean that girls who do are hollow or insecure.
sometimes they just like putting on make up.
yes, the answer could REALLY be that simple.
of course, your intentions of using make up is within question. if it's for the reason of wanting to look good to hook up some good looking fella, then sorry ah, i have no back up for that. worse if it's because you think you look like shit without make up. not only do i not have back up for that; i'd personally get to you and give you a one-on-one talk and then probably even slap you.
whether or not a girl puts on make up,
it all comes down to the most important thing:
self confidence.
not all girls who use make up have terrible self esteem. not all girls who don't use make up see themselves as the next Amber Chia. what we put or don't put on our face does not dictate what we are like on the inside; not our personalities, our characters or even our qualities. and it shouldn't be assumed that way. at the end of the day, if you strip off the make up, we're all just girls, only with different preferences and different ideas of self presentation.
no wrong or right, bro.
You Make My Dreams- Hall & Oates
