Growing up I never considered myself a ‘girly girl’. I would occasionally dress up for school and pretended I knew what I was doing when it came to makeup. By the end of high school i didn’t go to school without some amount of make up on. This continued throughout college until about my junior year. I felt like if I was headed to class then I had to at least cover up the dark circles under my eyes and put on some mascara. Deep down I didn’t feel beautiful or presentable unless I had makeup on.
I decided to challenge myself to go 30 days without wearing makeup. At first I struggled a lot and felt like everyone was staring at my imperfections. Yet as the days passed on it became easier. I realized that everyone still treated me the same and I became more accustomed to not wearing any makeup.
Here I am, two years later, and I still hardly ever wear makeup (except every now and then for special occasions). Personally I think that makeup can be an incredible way to enhance one’s natural beauty and at times it is even a form of art. I stopped wearing makeup because I wanted to once again feel beautiful in my natural skin. To fully understand that our imperfections are what make us beautiful.
As a woman there is immense societal pressure to always look ‘put together’. But I’ll be damned if I have to wear makeup to achieve that look. We’re told that our lashes need to be longer, our hair needs to be straighter, and our legs need to be smooth at all times. To hell with that. I believe that keeping it natural is the most beautiful version of a woman. When I wear makeup now it’s not because I feel I have to but because I want to. Makeup should be a way to enhance my natural beauty, not cover it up.
Being able to feel beautiful in my natural skin did come easily to me. It took time and there are still tough days when a breakout can suddenly make me feel insecure once again. On those days I remind myself that beauty radiates from the inside out. We are all worthy of feeling beautiful in our natural skin and no one should feel ashamed to show who they truly are. I hope that someday we aren’t told that we need makeup to look professional or put together. I hope that someday we are all able to understand that each aspect of ourselves is beautiful. And I hope that someday you too can radiate confidence without having to put a single drop of makeup on.