It’s been used as both a compliment and an insult against me; my use of winged eyeliner and red lipstick is seemingly very interesting to some people. Whether it’s a well-intentioned but slightly backhanded compliment (“You don’t need makeup! You’re too pretty for all of that”) or hurled as a slight (“At least I don’t wear a pound of makeup!”), it seems like a lot of people are really concerned about the lines and colors I draw onto my face. Even the #nomakeup selfie has become somewhat of a societal phenomenon. It’s as if we’re to believe that because a woman doesn’t wear makeup, she’s somehow better/hotter and that any woman who “needs” to wear makeup is a self-conscious trash dump. Obviously, that’s not the case and here’s why:
- It’s a personal choice. My lip color has no effect on your life whatsoever. None.
- It doesn’t make me less of a feminist. You don’t have to wear Birkenstock sandals and go bra-less everywhere to be a feminist (although there’s nothing wrong with that, if you do.) You have the right to look however you feel most comfortable; including super fem.
- It doesn’t make me fake. What color I choose to paint my eyelids has no bearing on how “real” I am as a person.
- Applying makeup can be a true art form. Have you ever seen a makeup artist do her thing on a movie set? Or hustle to make a bride look her very best for her wedding day? Makeup artists possess some real, true artistry. If faces are their canvases then they Claude Monet the HELL out of them.
- It makes me feel good. There’s something about a sharped, black wing on my eyelid that makes me feel powerful. Don’t take that away from me.
- It doesn’t mean I’m self-conscious. Just because I prefer to wear makeup, doesn’t mean that I hate myself underneath it all.
- Makeup is an extension of my fashion choices and my fashion choices are an extension of myself. Just as I pick out a red polka dot dress, I pick out a matching red lip stain to complete my outfit. I am who I am and I want the outside to match the inside.
- It’s fun as hell to put on makeup. Experimenting with different colors and shades and liquids and powders is actually really enjoyable.
- I like to see just how many different ways I can make myself look. I can go from punk biker chic to 1950’s movie star just with some strokes of a brush.
- I don’t wear makeup for you. I wear makeup for me and me alone. No one will dictate what I do or don’t wear on my face.