Why one chooses to wear makeup is a question most makeup users will encounter in their life. Many times, it is not even posed as a question, instead, someone decides to tell you why you wear it! They say you wear makeup because you are insecure and that you are lying when you say it is art. Or, some amazing feminists even, like my sister, will tell you not to wear concealer because it is a part of the patriarchy.
A few weeks ago while sporting bright blue eyeshadow at school, I overheard another makeup-wearing classmate arguing with a boy in our class. He was arguing that girls wore makeup because they were insecure and they wanted to impress others, while she was defending herself saying that she wore makeup for herself and no one else. When she caught me watching their argument she asked me to back her up. Upon coming over to do so, I received a groan from a nearby boy; I am already known as that argumentative feminist in the grade. But I started my argument anyway.
The boy who I was arguing with had one main point: that if we were happy with the way we looked, we would not wear makeup. Meaning that we are insecure if we choose to wear makeup. I asked him if he thought I wore blue eyeshadow because I thought I would look better with naturally blue eyelids. He said no, that my style of makeup was justifiable but girls who wore more natural looking makeup were not, that their reason was that they were insecure. I told him that I did not know other people’s reasons for wearing natural makeup, but he did not know either. Since he cannot see the reasons for why every makeup wearer chooses to wear makeup, he had no place stating their reasoning.
I see where people who think we wear makeup because of our insecurities are getting their ideas. The patriarchy benefits from us being unsatisfied with our body and our looks. Makeup companies make more money by telling us we do not look quite right, that we should not have pimples, that our eyelashes should be longer, that our nose should be smaller, etc. Advertising for makeup is something that ultimately needs to be changed. To allow us to start loving our bodies, we need to stop being told every day what we are “supposed” to look like. But that is the problem with makeup, this not our choice.
When I brush my eyelids bubblegum pink and paint my lips bright blue, I do it to express myself. I do it so that in a sea of pink lips at school, mine will be blue. I do it so that when I look in the mirror I see my face as a piece of art. I do it so that when I pass shops and see myself in the reflection of the window, I will feel powerful and outstanding. But when I get home at the end of the day and wash my face clean, I look in the mirror and see the same person, just as powerful and outstanding, and certainly just as beautiful.
Obviously, when I say why I put on makeup, I cannot speak for all makeup wearers. But no one else can either. Makeup companies cannot tell you why or how to wear makeup. No one can tell you why you wear makeup, how much to wear or use their reasons for doing so to justify yours. You have your reasons for wearing makeup, and those reasons are valid. And of course, if you do not wear makeup, your reasons are just as valid and no one should question them. All we must do is continue to love our bodies and respect others decisions without question.
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