We wake up in the morning, have a shower,
get dressed then put on our make up. It’s been drilled into us and it’s such a normal
part of our daily routine that us females don’t even notice the deep effect it
has on our self-esteem. Or maybe we do notice, but we choose not to recognize
it.
Seeing as I was one of the unlucky
teenagers who developed redness in her face and blemishes here and there,
covering up gave me solace.
About a month ago, I started breaking out
around the chin area. Realistically, it wasn’t that bad for a teenager– not
without the help of my trusty make-up bag. I packed it on, hoping it would make
the blemishes disappear. But the more foundation I applied, the more obvious
the spottiness on my face was. I was at a party and I felt super self-conscious.
At the party I did my signature pose, covering my mouth with my hand. I hardly
spoke to anyone that night.
I kept visiting the bathroom to check my
face in the mirror. If you look into your eyes long enough and tell yourself
how horribly ugly you are, you start to believe it and it hurts.
My boyfriend Jack found me and gave me that talk
about how;
“You’re naturally gorgeous.”
“Why do you even wear make up? You don’t need it.”
“Shut up, you’re beautiful. You’re crazy to think
otherwise.”
 |
| Night of the party: Lyndsey and Jack |
I thought it was un-genuine of him, lying
to try make me feel better about my looks. But I knew he wouldn’t lie to me.
Initially I thought it was because boys don’t understand the usage of make up,
then realized it was my mind playing tricks on me.
I’d convinced myself I was so ugly that I
didn’t believe Jack, who loves and respects me, telling me I’m pretty. I’d
become so dependent on make-up to fix a problem that didn’t exist.
We refuse to admit make-up attempts to give us a confidence boost, which lasts for a
little while. We rely heavily on these products, but is it really our fault we
are taught there is no such thing as
natural beauty?
Some of us watched our moms unable to leave
the house without a bit of foundation and mascara, ALL had the media constantly
advertising the importance of make-up and how you’ll look like a model and most
of our parents bought us young girls make-up kits from the toy store where we
mucked around playing dress-ups.
Ask yourself this question;
“When is the last time I left the house with no makeup
on?”
We have forgotten our true beauty; the
beauty that not only is outside of ourselves, but the inside. The beauty that
is self-belief and not needing a bottle of cream colored paint worth eighty
dollars to make us feel externally beautiful.
If you find yourself packing on the foundation
and drawing dark circles around your eyes because you don’t like what you see
or you’re trying to impress people in search for validation, you’re hiding your
true self.
The idea of ‘not being pretty enough’ doesn’t just happen to the young. A lot of
women, young and old, suffer from insecurity.
You don’t need to throw on make up to prove
a point. If anything, you’ll be proving a point by not wearing make-up! I’m not saying we have to throw all our makeup
away and never wear it again. Personally I’d find that rather difficult as a
performer whose career choice needs make-up as a main tool to physically get
into character. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing it to enhance
your features, but don’t let it control your life.
“ I am alive. I am beautiful. I am me.”
You only have one life to live, what a
waste it would be to not love what you were born with? It’s time we embrace our
natural beauty and our flaws and flaunt it. Radiate confidence and let the
world know you’re proud of being you. Don’t worry about what other people think
or say, all that matters is viewing yourself in a positive light. Give it a go;
you’ll be surprised to find what an amazing person
you are.
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