As a child, makeup was something that I always found fascinating. I bought the stupid-themed makeup sets for kids at Claire’s, but they didn’t really work. I have always been creative, but I didn’t think it would show on my face. I’ve always had my aunt do my makeup at daddy-daughter dancing and beauty nights. After that incident, my mom finally gave me permission to wear make-up. It’s true; makeup helped me bond with my aunt. My collection of makeup grew quickly, and I now have more than I can use, but I’m always wanting more. When I was in middle school, my acne made me feel less confident, and makeup became less fun. It was the only way I felt beautiful. I wouldn’t go to school without makeup, and this made my acne worse. I was unhappy and missed makeup as an outlet for creativity. I did it because I thought I had to wear makeup to look beautiful. I knew that something had to change, so I did everything in my power to make myself feel beautiful, even without makeup.
First, I had to understand that not wearing makeup isn’t bad. But the way in which society sees girls without makeup can be. The society often portrays girls as needing to look glam every day to be considered attractive. Women are made to look like they’re doing simple chores in TV shows. In commercials, even women who appear “fresh-faced” are wearing makeup. No wonder women feel like they have to wear makeup. You don’t have to wear makeup if you’re going to sweat or if you just want to go to the supermarket. You don’t need to change. The society does.
After wearing makeup daily for several months, I realized I was doing myself more harm than good. While I washed my face and took care of my skin every day, my acne continued to worsen because I was wearing so much and so often makeup. My skin changed dramatically when I stopped wearing makeup. I am a teenager, so I will have acne. With my depression, it can be difficult to take care of my face. My skin looks healthier now that I wear less makeup, and I use it less often. Since acne was one of my biggest concerns, I decided to reduce my makeup use. I feel so much more beautiful now.
The last step to feeling beautiful was to stop caring what other people think. I have been trying to put myself first, which includes wearing makeup just for me and not for approval from others. It’s difficult for teens to stop caring what other people think. It might take some time to achieve this, but it will be worth it in the end. It was a relief to finally stop caring what other people thought about me. I no longer had to wake up every morning at 5:30 am to apply makeup. I wore makeup for fun, to make myself happy, and because I liked it. I no longer did it to please others or feel beautiful. Without makeup, I felt beautiful inside and out. It was the most wonderful feeling I’ve ever had.
