Make Up – A Discussion Post With Thoughts From Teens Of The Blogosphere

Makeup – a tool for masking insecurity? Or an artistic way of expressing creativity? 

Recently, I had a conversation with my amazing friend  Liv, via email, which inspired the idea of writing a discussion post about makeup. I’m really interested to hear other young people’s ideas because it’s something that really does not have a straightforward answer, yet is a massive thing amongst our modern society. So I decided to ask around the blogosphere and find out the opinions of some girls of my own generation. I’ve been able to put together a kaleidoscope of thoughts, each one unique and valid.

First off, here are some extracts from my conversation with Liv:

Liv: I don’t wear makeup, and neither do any of my friends. At my school, it’s only the mean(ish) girls who wear makeup – the same girls who wear revealing clothes, etc. I don’t really care if anyone wears makeup, although I hate when people put it on me. My mom tries to sometimes for special events and I get really mad haha 😜

Me: I understand why people want to wear it. I’ve been told it’s a mask for anxiety, insecurity about what you look like. I’m not saying that’s true in every case, but I think it can be the truth amongst many teenagers.

Other people describe makeup as warpaint, like clothes that you match your own style, that make you feel strong. That sounds pretty cool, but I’m not sure it’s true for the majority of people.

 I don’t really want to start wearing makeup. I also don’t want – in theory – to conform to others, but one thing I’m worried about is people treating me younger just because of what I look like.

Okay, so let’s delve deeper into the world of makeup.

The Backstory….

Makeup has been in use all over the world for around 12,000 years. Starting with the ancient Egyptians, it has adopted by many cultures for beauty enhancement throughout the ages.

A Kaleidoscope Of Thoughts featuring teens of the blogosphere. 

Incomplete Thinker – Makeup is an interesting topic, I find. I personally don’t wear it a lot – and not just for skin benefits. It covers up a lot of your natural beauty, and over time you will feel pressure to wear it consistently. You may even be scared to leave the house without wearing a pound of eyeshadow, or perfect eyebrows. When in reality, we were not born to be perfect. Makeup is fun, yes, but that’s what it should be for. Not for twisting you into something you’re not. I only wear makeup for special events. I’m not saying everyone should do the same… but I do struggle with the concept of having to be “on fleek” or having “the perfect contour” before stepping outside your own bedroom.

Brooke Jade– Well, I think makeup is okay to wear as long as you’re parents are okay with it, and if you’re doing it for yourself and not for other people. I personally wear a bit of makeup, but only when I feel like it. 

Little Helper – Do not allow makeup to be who you are and don’t use makeup only if you are trying to cover up all your blemishes because at the end of the day our blemishes and scars make us who we are.

Of course, we can apply but don’t think that without makeup we are ugly.

 

Elsie – My opinion of makeup is that if it is to be worn it should be not to please others but to feel more confident in yourself alongside feeling comfortable and loving the way you look without it on too. If people want to wear makeup it should be for them and/or to show a side of their personality that can only be shown through the medium of makeup. It can be viewed in another way too: people who wear makeup are wearing it for the people around them as they are the only ones who can see you and make you want to feel confident whilst under pressure in their eyes (I can see where this point of view is coming from but makeup is loved by many and is more so a way of expressing yourself!) if you feel better in yourself wearing it than wear it and if you don’t then don’t feel like you have to either. I myself do not wear makeup. I have nothing against it (I love reading makeup product reviews 😂), I just feel like I’m trapped with it on and like I’m hiding. I may very well change my mind in the future and start wearing it 😂 but for now it’s not me. Everyone is different. Whether you wear makeup or not, as long as you are comfortable that is all that matters 💕…….

Loren – I don’t wear makeup because I don’t like the way it feels, but I don’t care how much makeup anyone else wears — it’s none of my business. You could wear a full face everyday, none, or anything in between, and you would still deserve to be respected and taken seriously. And I believe that makeup is gender neutral, so boys should be able to wear it if they want without being made fun of. If you wear makeup, make sure it’s because you want to, not because of peer and societal pressure. 

Mukta – When it comes to makeup, my feelings have always been kind of mixed. While it is an essential aspect of many careers, dance being a major example, I haven’t been a fan of makeup as far as I remember. But speaking of it in general I find no reason to hide your natural features or enhance them in any way, and neither do I believe that makeup is very necessary to be able to live a good and fruitful life. I have no objection with others wearing it but only want people to know how much is too much.

Charis Rae –When it comes to makeup, I think it has to do with your intentions . Many people view makeup as an art form and enjoy practicing new techniques and trying out different looks. Others like me wear makeup because they want to accentuate the beauty that they already have.

The problem is that so many people use makeup to cover up their faults or attract attention from others, namely boys. There’s nothing wrong with covering a breakout or dark circles after a bad night of sleep, but in many cases, we rely on the makeup to make ourselves feel pretty and accepted. Or we might try to make ourselves more appealing to boys and attract their attention. The problem is that this bases our self-worth on their opinions and can lead to other dangerous behaviors down the road.

God made each and every person beautiful and He loves you! And believe me, it’s more attractive to be friendly and Godly than to be beautiful but mean.The makeup itself is harmless, but we need to make sure that we’re using the right intentions when wearing it. Have fun, enjoy your makeup, but most importantly, embrace your inner beauty!

 

Maggie –  I am very appreciative of makeup because it’s a great way for girls to express themselves. Whether it’s used to conceal blemishes, be artistic, or a bit of both, I love seeing what others come up with and trying natural looks myself. When makeup inspires girls to be more confident and happy, I am definitely glad that we have it!

Maddy – I have been wearing makeup pretty much daily for the past two years and I think that it is something fun and girly to wear. Makeup has become a huge thing in our culture today but if it’s not something you want to wear that’s totally fine! I think that the whole makeup thing has gotten a little bit out of hand with the amount some people put on, the colored in eyebrows, etc but I think that light makeup is great. 

Gracie Marchiani – Hello! Gracie(not myself, but the lovely young lady who runs A Light In The Darkness.haha) has asked me to share my opinion on makeup! Let’s go!! — I think makeup can be very nice, it can cover up pimples, and I think just the right amount can help bring out your true beauty but not to the point of you looking like a magazine model. I have slightly mixed emotions on makeup. But, I mostly like it. I did not start wearing makeup till I was 13. I don’t think you should start wearing makeup till at least 12. I am now almost 16, and I still do not wear a ton of makeup. I wear mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and foundation. If you are a girl who has not yet started to wear makeup, but you want to, talk to your mom and see what her rules are. Even if you don’t wear makeup, don’t feel like you are less pretty, you are made in God’s image, so you are already gorgeous! ❤ Thanks for letting me talk about makeup!! ~Gracie 

Nejra – Makeup for me is art. I wear makeup every day, I do lighter makeup for college and heavier for night outs. I love makeup and I view it as a positive because I’m using makeup to enhance my natural beauty, not to hide myself. I always loved this quote ‘Skin first. Makeup second. Smile always.’ And that’s really nicely said. I think that every girl or women should take care of her skin firstly. If a woman can’t leave home without full face of Maybelline and find her confidence dependent upon using it, then I’d say there are likely some deeper self-esteem issues that should be examined. But, if a woman finds it a creative and enjoyable outlet, then I don’t see a thing wrong with it. This girl thinks it’s fun. ❤❤❤

May – I personally don’t wear makeup, but I have nothing against people who don’t! I feel like a lot of people shame girls who don’t wear makeup, and they tell them horrible things like, “You’ll never be pretty without makeup.” Obviously, this is super mean and should never be said, but it’s something that happens in real life. Other people shame girls for wearing too much makeup, so that shows how society is very contradictory. I believe that girls should wear as little or as much makeup they want. It is their choice, and if wearing no, little, or a lot of makeup empowers them, that’s great! But I think that they also have to realize that they are pretty and gorgeous and beautiful even without makeup.

The Girl With IronWings – Actually I think wearing make up is not a bad thing, that is, if you don’t go overboard and spend hours everyday applying 10 layers of concealers and eye shadows.

I personally like make up, and I don’t think anyone should be judged on how they like to present themselves. But to those who entirely alter themselves with too much makeup, I’d like to say that too many add-on’s only makes the person look artificial and freaky, and not attractive. And that’s not a nice thing, because why make yourself hideous when you have a fresh and lovely face on the inside?

Any amount of lipstick and mascara is fine as long as you look yourself. 🙂

Thank you to everyone who contributed!

My Conclusion

I agree with all of these teens on certain points. You should feel confident without makeup, you are who you are, don’t try to change that, but then, makeup is fun and many girls enjoy putting it on and experimenting, what harm is there in that? Yeah, but, think of the consequences! Think of how it makes them feel! Pressured to fit in? Ugly without layers and layers of paint?

Personally I believe that the beauty on the inside – compassion and light – is more important than your exterior appearance. I’m not saying I’ll never wear makeup, but I don’t think I’ll ever be obsessed with it.

I’m also not against it. I know some people use to make their skin look better and others as an art form, using a human face as their canvas.

Here’s a funny example, I let two friends (three and eight years old) do my makeup once. Here’s what happened –

Liv: Wow! They really were into the glitter 😂. You look really pretty though. Yesterday, my friends brought a bunch of makeup to school for theater and put it all over my friend’s arm. They maybe caked on ten layers of makeup, no joke. It was pretty funny though since she couldn’t rub it off or it would smear all over her. 😂

Me: Hahaha, yes they definitely were! The others just splattered makeup all over their faces. One of my sister’s friends mixed foundation cream and bright green eyeshadow together and plastered it all over her face. She looked SO WEIRD.

Okay, back onto the subject of makeup. What do you think?