All my life I have struggled with body image and self-esteem. I’m stick thin and have zero curves. I have a larger than normal nose and my face is littered with acne. I have bags under my eyes no matter how much sleep I get. However, my issues with my face never really began until people pointed them out to me. I didn’t know my nose was weird until three of my “friends” teased me for it in middle school, and I didn’t know my under-eye bags were so prominent until people started asking why I always looked sick. Embarrassed by these seemingly minuscule comments on my appearance, I turned to makeup. I have never been the makeup pro; I can only do the basic application of concealer, mascara, and foundation, but once I started wearing more and more makeup, I received more and more compliments. So naturally, I started wearing more and more makeup, no matter how much I struggled with it. Eventually, as classes got more and more difficult, and standardized testing, large course loads, and extracurricular added up, I realized I was getting less sleep and that my life was getting progressively more stressful. So I decided to eliminate the smallest stressors in my life, or at least the ones I could control.
This meant taking makeup and bras out of my routine. How are bras stressors? Bras have always been uncomfortable to me, whether it was an underwire digging into my ribs, a strap that’s either too loose or too tight on my shoulders, or the fact that I feel constricted in them. My solution? Ditch the bra. Completely. I won’t lie to you and say this was easy; the first few days I meticulously picked outfits I knew wouldn’t make my braless decision visible (like wearing a jacket in 90 degree weather) all because of my paranoia that people would know and stare. However, I will let you in on a secret, most people won’t even notice, and most that do won’t say anything to you about it. I had a few snide remarks, but was met with immense support from my friends. And I come from a suburban conservative school in the South. Granted, when I informed my parents, they immediately scolded and belittled me, like they thought I was flaunting my body by wearing less. But, I am comfortable and once that I’ve become accustomed to this comfort, nothing will make me restrict myself like that ever again.
Ditching the makeup was much easier. I got to sleep in longer, and I didn’t have to stress about getting both eyeliner wings perfectly symmetrical, or that one pimple completely concealed. Occasionally I will wear a bit of mascara, but otherwise makeup is out of my life. And I love it. I still have bags under my eyes and acne all over my face, but by not purposefully covering them up, I have become used to it. I know that sounds odd, to think that someone could not be used to their own face, but I had been conditioned to cover up every single imperfection, and when I stopped trying to, I got used to it. I’ve also started focusing on proper skincare. My skincare arsenal is fairly small, being composed primarily of Crepe Erase products, but it keeps my skin healthy and radiant I now look in the mirror and see myself for who I truly am, and am more comfortable with my body.
My point of this article was not to make you anti-makeup or anti-bras; I love getting makeovers and bralettes are my best friends. My point is that if you are like me, and the idea of applying makeup on yourself seems daunting instead of like a fun challenge, you should know that you don’t have to wear makeup. And if you have an itchy bra, you don’t have to wear it. Really, this can be applied to anything. I haven’t shaved in two weeks just because I didn’t want to, and although my friends comment on my leg stubble, I just shrug them off and they stop teasing. Bottom line is this: teenage years can be incredibly stressful, I’m in the thick of it with applying to colleges, but you hold the power to make your life stressful. You can make your own decisions about your body, and no matter what others may say, you are beautiful. With or without makeup, with or without shaving, with or without a bra; all that matters is that you’re comfortable.
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