Makeup is among the many forms of art in the world and is arguably the most widely known. So widely known, in fact, that people expect women to constantly wear it.
Many women make the choice to wear makeup daily, whether it is because it simply makes them happy or because of societal pressures.
However, I am a woman who rarely wears makeup and have received many comments about my choice to leave it out of my daily routine. Even people in my own family have told me that I look tired and sad without makeup and would look more beautiful and polished with it.
Comments like these demonstrate society’s fixation on beauty and the constant expectation for women to be primped and polished at all times. This is often thought to make women beautiful, and any woman who does any less is branded as lazy or unattractive.
It is no mystery that women are constantly scrutinized for several reasons in the media. Whether a woman is skinny, overweight, dressed up or dressed down, people will find a way to criticize her.
Celebrities who are photographed without makeup on are often the target of these criticisms. These women are under constant pressure to appear flawless in the public eye, and are then captured during a time where they believe they can finally be away from the spotlight for a moment.
Complex published an online article titled “30 Shocking Photos of Hot Celebrities Without Makeup or Photoshop.” Following many pictures of the women featured are rude comments about their appearance; one even compares Kate Moss to the “Lord of the Rings” character Gollum.
This article is an example of how harsh the beauty standards for female celebrities are. These photos are not shocking at all — all they reveal is that celebrities are actual humans and have natural flaws. What is more shocking is that people cannot grasp this concept. If someone expects women to naturally look like they do with makeup on, then they will be highly disappointed.
This kind of criticism borders on harassment and is at the root of why people expect women to wear makeup daily.
Some women do, and that’s great. I do not shame those who wear makeup often at all. Some can’t leave the house without it, while I always leave the house without it; everyone has the right to do what makes them feel most comfortable and confident.
I am not here to judge anyone, but it feels like many people spend their lives doing just that. A woman who is not wearing makeup is not doing harm to anyone, except to those whose egos are crushed when they do not have a “sexy” woman to ogle at.
Women are beautiful no matter what choices they make about their appearance. Whether a woman wears makeup or not should not determine your definition of her beauty.