THEPLAINTRUTH: Wearing make-up doesn’t mean I think I’m ugly without it
To wear or not to wear make-up is a matter of preference, not proof of negative body image or poor self-esteem. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- A lot of women wear make-up as a form of self-expression. Many wear it because it is an accessory that enhances their overall look and subsequently, lifts their mood.
- Some wear make-up because it is a habit that they’ve become really good at. So telling a woman to stop wearing make-up because she doesn’t need it, shows that you don’t understand her at all.
- You are oblivious to the fact that she isn’t wearing it because she feels she needs to, but simply because she wants to.
While a fully made-up face is not part of my daily routine, I have no strong feelings against women who prefer bold red lipstick with smoky eyes to go with it. What I have a problem with is the “no make-up” revolution. The movement that tells women that they do not need to wear make-up. The movement that reminds women that they are beautiful anyway, so they should wipe the make-up off their faces.
I was stunned when RnB singer Alicia Keys made the news and was lauded as brave for going on the red carpet sans make-up, never mind that her no-make up look takes lots of time and yes, make-up, to achieve. Even if she really did step out without make-up, if you ask me, there’s nothing brave about the bare-faced look. It is simply a matter of preference.
I get that the “no make-up” campaigns are well-intentioned and meant to promote positive body image among women, but they are misinformed because there are as many reasons why women wear make-up as there are women on earth, and they don’t all have to do with negative body image.
I have a tube of plum lipstick which I only bought because the salesgirl at the beauty shop said something unflattering about my skin complexion (which I now love). Whenever I wear that lipstick, it is not because I feel insecure or because I don’t feel beautiful without it. I put it on simply because I want to and because it makes me feel great (though I don’t feel any less without it). In the same way, women do not wear make-up because they feel they are lacking in one way or another.
A lot of women wear make-up as a form of self-expression. Many wear it because it is an accessory that enhances their overall look and subsequently, lifts their mood. Some wear make-up because it is a habit that they’ve become really good at. So telling a woman to stop wearing make-up because she doesn’t need it, shows that you don’t understand her at all. You are oblivious to the fact that she isn’t wearing it because she feels she needs to, but simply because she wants to.
True, there are women out there who wear make-up because they believe that they look more beautiful in it than without it, but if pink lips make a woman feel most comfortable, there’s nothing wrong with that. Different strokes for different folks.
The energy being used to tell women what they should or should not do to their faces and hair is misdirected. After all, the colours and lines on a woman’s face are a very small issue. It shouldn’t be the basis on which a woman is judged. We have greater enemies than bottles of foundation or tubes of lipstick. How about we start movements against pregnancy discrimination at the workplace? Or start campaigns that will enable the Kenyan woman have easy and free access to contraception? That’s a better fight to focus on.
