Make me up, before you go-go!

“I wake up in the morning

Put on my face

The one that's gonna get me

Through another day”

--Avril Lavigne, Naked

This semester I am doing a practicum in a grade 1 class. The other day I was handing students their school pictures, upon receiving her picture a little 6 year old girl said “Oh no, I look terrible!” This shocked me because quite frankly she is a very cute little girl and she looked lovely in her picture. I couldn’t help but wonder where she had picked up the idea of how she ought to look in a picture...

Society has always constructed ideas of beauty, particularly with regards to how women should look. Through the decades women, luckily, have had something to help them adhere to these ideas and fit the mold that was set for them: Makeup.

Makeup was there when your face was expected to be all the colors of the rainbow in the 80s and make up was there when you wanted a natural look in the 1940s. And I personally have nothing against makeup when used properly to accentuate your natural beauty. However, I do think there is something wrong when girls feel they have to wear makeup to be beautiful. I think you should be able to walk confidently regardless of whether you have makeup on or not.

I grew up in a family with 5 girls in it; my mother, my 3 sisters, and myself and none of us were particularly uptight about makeup. Yes, my older sisters went through the “raccoon phase” when Avril Lavigne first appeared on the scene, but other than that none of us were really all that concerned about it. I don’t think any of us ever spent more than 10 minutes on our face in a day...

My Makeup-less face..

My mom always referred to it as “putting her face on” and this is a habit I picked up on, although I really only started wearing makeup on a daily basis late in my teenage years. But I’m pleased to say that there are plenty of days where I don’t want to put my face on and can quite comfortable walk around outside without one. And honestly, who wants to get up 30 minutes earlier just to put makeup on their face so they can look well-rested? I'd much rather sleep for the extra half hour!

The other day on Facebook a friend of mine posted a picture of herself without makeup on and she looked stunning. There is something beautiful about a girl who is confident enough to not have to wear makeup to know she’s gorgeous. So I would like to put forth a challenge to you girls out there. Pick a day this week and don’t wear makeup. Just be confident in who God made you! You are beautiful regardless of how even your skintone is or how long your lashes are.

“Staring at you taking off your makeup

Wondering why you even put it on

I know you think you do, but baby you don't need it”

--Rascal Flatts, Fast Cars & Freedom

(I hope this didn't offend or upset any girls out there who do spend a lot of time on makeup and wear it everyday, there is nothing wrong with that! I just hope you know you're pretty without makeup, too!)