I heard Pretty Girl Rock by our beloved Keri Hilson on the radio that it reminded me of something beauty world related that has been bothering me for a couple weeks. The song's whole point is that Keri is so very fly oh my it's a little bit scary due to natural reasons. She goes a wee bit far in saying that the way that she dresses isn't her fault, but, beyond that, she's saying, I'm a 10, yo man knows it, it's how I look, there's an objective standard of beauty (at least within cultures), deal. I don't actually have a problem with this. My problem is that few are actually allowed to function as if this is true.
Who are considered the "pretty girls"? In my experience, they are the masters of makeup. Because prettiness apparently has little to do with natural beauty, and/or healthy, glowing skin, teeth and hair (though I suppose teeth shouldn't actually glow). It's about whether or not you know how to paint contours. Girls, regardless of actual prettiness, are thought to "not care" if they "don't put in the effort." There was a designer who once said all a woman needs to be makeup gorgeous is a thin strip of eyeliner; I forget who this was, and I'm not looking it up at this moment. But girls who just wear aforementioned thin strip are socially the girls who don't know about being pretty. I realized this (again) at work the other day when two other girls, who always have full faces of makeup, were introduced to some eyeshadow tips, and I wasn't even considered. Offended? No. But, I like eyeshadow. Why do we assume I'm not interested in the tutorial? I don't have that look. Or, I suppose I should better say, I don't create that look upon myself.
I'm all about loving makeup and having fun with hair. I love it so much, really, and strongly encourage it. Where my feathers get ruffled is when I'm expected to wear it; thus, I'm inclined to, more often than not, extend Makeup-Free Mondays to the rest of the week. They get ruffled even further, and at this point take more of the persona of a cat being rubbed backwards, when I realize that because I don't always fake my face, I don't take care of my face. I actually take a lot of pride in my years of experimentation to find what exactly works for my skin and hair. And by what works, I mean the products that make it feel healthy, not the ones that I just place on it to pretend it is the case. And don't get me wrong; ain't nobody throwin' shade on those girls that do that. I have mad respect for the skills required, as well as the dedication to spend some time on these things. My main point is the social labels. There's no reason to assume that one cares more about her looks than the other. For me, I haven't the patience to wear a ton of makeup, nor is it worth having my face breakout because of it. I have a compact of NARS Orgasm, the much raved about blush, and it sits and goes to waste because when I put it on my cheeks they freak out. That is not worth it to me, because I feel like when I am 60 and care even less than I do now, I'll still have this skin that will have been ravaged by aforementioned product.
I will never pin a contouring tutorial. And because of this, I know that I will have to deal with raised eyebrows if I mention that I have a beauty blog.
And no, I'm not okay with that.
Why should I have to paint a "natural" face? Note that I use have to. I don't care if someone wants to do something; I just don't like the assumption that because i don't want to do that, and want to actually be natural, I must not care. I care a lot.
Makeup is fun, and it should be done for fun, not as a requirement. For New Years, I did this awesome, awesome cat eye, and got SO many compliments. And it wasn't because people thought that my eyelashes actually extend 1/2 inch pass my eyelid. It brought out my eyes; people (myself, and boyfriend, included) appreciated that. It's like wearing a fancy dress; compliments are great, but ideally people don't think I'm hideous otherwise.
Rant over. Now please, everyone finish with a great big I'm so very fly, oh my, it's a lil' bit scary.
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