Makeup or Mask?

By Kristina Romines, 17, Contributor

Originally Published: Aug 31, 2007

Revised: Jun 19, 2008

In the seventh grade, I began to notice something: fuller lashes, lined lids and glossed lips. The painted faces of my peers started popping up in middle school. Who were these girls my age who were wearing makeup? I had dabbled in makeup at slumber parties, but it was never anything I took seriously. To me, wearing makeup on a daily basis practically certified you as a grown woman.

Many of us start wearing makeup simply because everyone else does. It makes us feel older. We want to feel mature, but have to play by the rules. But many girls, including myself, find this maturity in makeup.

Adapted from jeffreywithtwof's

Creative Commons Attribution License

A Woman Possessed

Testing the water, I started with lip gloss. I didn’t want to cannonball straight into womanhood. I wanted to slink in unnoticed, giving me time to practice and perfect the art of makeup. I didn’t want to seem like an imposter—a little girl in her mommy’s makeup. Then I went from just lip gloss to lip gloss and eye shadow. Eye shadow seemed so fun and colorful, and it was easy to add eyeliner and mascara from there. Foundation was my last step. It was through this gradual process that I waded into womanhood…in my world at least.

In truth, I waded more into a crazy fake and clownish appearance. I remember clearly the moment I realized things had gone too far. A younger girl walked into school one day with really heavy makeup. I noticed the line of foundation that ran along her jaw line, showing just how thickly it was applied. On my way to the bathroom with my girlfriends, I chuckled internally at her. She was clearly a beginner.

In the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror and realized how ridiculous I looked, too. There was black goo in the corners of my eyes. My lids were shaded as if a four-year-old armed with a crayon had applied my eye shadow. Who has purple lids?!

Makeup had become a mask that I hid behind, because I was terrified to reveal my real face. I thought that with makeup I would be beautiful, or, at least, not as ugly. I felt trapped because I believed that if I stopped wearing makeup everyone would think I was hideous. I had become a woman alright—a woman possessed.

Some of my sensible friends told me that I didn’t need makeup to be beautiful, that I am naturally beautiful. And naturally, I didn’t believe them. I couldn’t see the truth: None of us “needed” all the makeup we wore. We were fresh-faced young women who probably gave ourselves more zits trying to cover up the few ones we had.

I was determined to feel better about myself.

Natural Beauty

I began forcing myself to wear less and less makeup every day. Makeup was a hassle and I was never very good at applying it anyway, I reasoned. However, the one thing I got stuck on was eyeliner. I could not give it up. I was convinced that without lined eyes, I looked terrible. (Eyeliner really just made me look like a raccoon by midday.) Eventually I got over it, but even today I will catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and think, Gosh, my eyes could use some definition.

With a lot of effort, I started to appreciate my natural beauty. It wasn’t easy. I would stare at myself in the mirror; I would tell myself, I am beautiful, even when I didn’t believe it. I made myself pick some things that I liked about my appearance, and eventually, I started to feel better about it. I gradually stopped wearing makeup, even eyeliner. And I saved a lot of time and energy that I used to spend buying, applying and rechecking my makeup.

Comfortable with My Appearance

Now, as I prepare for college and the “real” world, I don’t wear any makeup. I don’t care what other people think, because I am comfortable with myself and my appearance. I know I don’t need makeup to be beautiful. As I look around my school or the mall, I see flocks of girls wearing lots of makeup, and I just want to shake them and make them realize how beautiful they are without it.

We live in a world where the media hits us over the head with acne commercials and the latest no-clump mascara. It’s no wonder we have such a hard time believing we are beautiful. All these products lie in wait for us in the stores, suggesting that without them we are nothing short of gross.

There is something beautiful about every single one of us, and it breaks my heart to see girls—and even fully grown women— dissatisfied with their appearance.

Makeup: Not a Bad Thing

Makeup is OK. I’m not suggesting that we stop using it all together. It can be fun—experimenting with different shades to bring out the color in your eyes or seeing how you would look with different products. But sometimes we get carried away, and makeup becomes a means of hiding one’s self. Makeup should not replace your self-confidence and warp your perception of beauty, especially your perception of yourself.

Kristina Romines is a 17-year-old contributor who lives in Virginia.


 

Your Comments

Embracing my beauty

Posted by: bjugs44 on Aug 27th, 2008 9:47pm

When I was in middle school I never wore makeup. I too found
myself trying to fit in by wearing makeup but I looked
ridiculous because I didn't want to take the time. Now that
I wear makeup on a daily basis, I do feel a lot better about
myself, bot because I'm hiding, but becausing I'm showing to
the world that I care about what I look like and presenting
a positive image. Whenever I'm wearing makeup, people
compliment my natural beauty, makeup is meant for that
reason, embracing natural beauty

Oh the memories...

Posted by: KayeRistina on Aug 25th, 2008 10:09pm

When I was in jr high, I looked like racoongirl: I was a 12
year old armed w/ a bottle of liquid eyeliner. Since then, I
have learned how to put on makeup well & I always look
amazing. I only wear it for school dances or other special
occasions. It's too much of a hassle & if I can spare myself
the 15 minutes of extra sleep, I find that I am a happier
student in first per chem. makeup is a stage that most girls
go through before they realize that they are beautiful.
Haven't touched it in months!

I agree

Posted by: karimsu on Aug 24th, 2008 2:07pm

I dont like to apply make up on... I think goin all natural
is a good thing..

Ehh

Posted by: alforda9111990 on Aug 23rd, 2008 10:44am

I have to say the first time my boyfriend met me, before we
were together, I had no makeup on and I was mess! He looked
at me and we just had a conversation. Through out the year
he saw me in various states. The day we actually talked
about how we felt, I had no makeup on and had worked a six
hour shift. That was the first time he called me beautiful.
LADIES, THEY DON'T REALLY CARE! IF THEY DO, THEY ARE NOT
WORTH YOUR TIME!!!!

not sure if i disagree or not

Posted by: uncertainfreak on Aug 22nd, 2008 10:52pm

Yes there are alot of people who wear "too much" and don't
care that it's noticable. I wear eyeliner.. black. My skin
is very pale and my teeth are kinda 'buck teeth' I guess. It
helps me not look as pale. And if you think thats bad,...
well I don't agree on what you're saying at all.

i dont kno wat to call this

Posted by: Im_the_best on Mar 8th, 2008 11:55pm

i dont wear make-up, becuz my parents wouldnt let me use
it...so now i dont like it the only thing i wear is melted
vaseline..(wen its soft i kinda mean) it looks like
lip-gloss to me

Makeup in college

Posted by: clockworkparadox on Jan 11th, 2008 6:58pm

I'm in my first year at a private liberal arts college, and
I'm hear to give high schoolers a little bit of hope: hardly
anyone wears much makeup in college! Girls are realizing
that they don't need to impress anyone or "put on their
face" before heading off to class. Girls who spend a lot of
time putting on their makeup in the morning are definitely a
minority here. Most girls choose to go makeup-less, or wear
very little (like only eyeliner and chapstick or lipgloss).
It's refreshing!

agree

Posted by: alforda9111990 on Sep 1st, 2007 10:17pm

I agree. Girls wear too much, lets wait a decade or two when
we'll need it.

im just me

Posted by: TeenPrincess on Sep 1st, 2007 6:01pm

i really enjoyed this article. its so true. im 16 and i hate
wearing make up but my sister sometimes makes me feel like
im just lazy cuz i dont put a gallon of makeup on everyday
like she does. i hate how some people are obsesed with
beauty. make up and clothes should be the least of our
worries.

Natural Beauty

Posted by: Samv6271 on Sep 1st, 2007 4:47pm

I used to date a girl who would never even be seen without
makeup, who would avoid wetting her face while swimming and
would steel away with a purse if something made her cry. One
day I came to visit her and she didn't have any on, and
without thinking about her absence of makeup I told her she
looked beautiful, because she really did. She not only
didn't believe me, but she thought I was poking fun at her
for not having some on! Saying that didn't change her at
all, she still wears it every day

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