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The Double Standard With Makeup

Via yurtopic Written by Elizabeth Baker
Via yurtopic Written by Elizabeth Baker

“I could wipe off your beauty with a kleenex.”

“Boys like a more natural look.”

“You look sick without makeup on.”

“Who are you trying to impress?” Girls get bombarded with comments like these on a daily basis. The media, parents and peers are all telling us different things when it comes to how much foundation, eyeliner and mascara we should wear.

Headlines like “13 Reason Why Your Brows ARENT On Fleek” morph the views of today’s teenagers. The double standard of wearing too much or not enough makeup has got to stop. With the recent wave of new-age intersectional feminism, wearing too much or not enough makeup is being more and more accepted. More girls are dressing up not to impress boys or even other girls, but themselves. This is extremely important. If girls know that they can express themselves however they want without feeling the nagging sensation that they’ll get attacked, they’ll be more confident in themselves.

This leads to a better overall mental health, social life, and aspirations and achievements. They’re not conforming; they’re dressing up (or dressing down) for themselves. Key word: themselves. I’m totally okay with girls wearing more makeup than Marilyn Manson or go at it baby-faced, but as long as it’s for the right reasons. I’ve seen too many girls cover themselves in makeup because they’re insecure of what they look like without it. Due to bullying or lack of self-confidence, they feel that the only way they can look “pretty” (a very subjective term, if you ask me) is if they hide behind long eyelashes and bold brows. The opposite is just as prevalent, too. There are girls who don’t wear any makeup because they don’t want to be labeled as a “slut.”

As judgmental as this sounds, I can actually see where they’re coming from. Girls have been conditioned from a young age to work against other girls, bringing them down by slut-shaming. As an act of self-defense, they conform to avoid confrontation. We can change these both. Lets let girls choose how they want to express themselves without judgment. So what if someone wants to contour on the daily? Who cares if they don’t wear mascara? Lets accept people for who they are: people. Just like you and me. This topic goes beyond makeup. It’s not just how you present yourself, it’s how society warps our view into thinking that we aren’t good enough, or are too good for everyone else.

There needs to be a middle ground where we can learn to accept each other for who we are, not what we look like. Makeup, clothes, and hairstyles are only skin deep; although we can present who we are through what we look like, I feel like we aren’t there as a society yet. Too many people are hiding behind makeup. Negative connotations shouldn’t be drawn from a person who does or doesn’t wear makeup. The only thing that should matter is the reason behind it. Feel confident and love yourself, any way you want

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