I like to complain a lot so these will probably be more ranty than anything else. But you do have an option to exit out of this blog.
Why I really started writing this post is because I realised how conscious I am of how I look in public now and how I portray myself to the outside world. I wasn't always like this, I used to think if I had decent hygiene and kept myself neat, that was enough. Now, I invest time in the morning to spend time concealing flaws that I used to not think twice about. This really irks me because it means that I am letting societal expectations change how I am.
I told Anita, my bestie who I share this blog with, about this realisation - how I'm spending an extra 15 minutes in the morning to put makeup on my face when before I would have preferred to sleep that extra 15 minutes. She told me that there was nothing wrong with spending extra time on making you look good. Fair point. I thought about this some more and I asked myself, "but does it make you feel any better on the inside?". The answer to that question, is not so much. I spend the rest of the day checking if my mascara has smudged or if, heaven forbid, my concealer melted away and my pimple, is now revealed to the world. OH THE HORROR. I have become obsessed with how my face looks.
This makeup wearing started when I started working. I guess I'm trying to impress people I don't know? So, does this mean that society is expecting us to be flawless? To a certain degree. I mean the message is pretty clear in society of how we should appear. A good example of this is the trend of 'eyebrows on fleek'. Before, I would never have played attention to this trend because it's so materialistic and shallow. You can even ask my friends, they will tell you that I said, I quote, "I don't understand the eyebrow fad". They told me it wasn't a fad and that it was a lifestyle. So, here I am today, obsessed with how my eyebrows look and also feel as sense of gratification when someone tells me that my eyebrows are on fleek. They are right, it's not a fad, it's a lifestyle that I've converted into. I think once you get sucked in, there is never really going back.
We've all been conditioned to think that we should be a certain way and I think it's such a detrimental message to send to vulnerable young women. Also, not to mention, makeup products in Australia is fucking ridiculously expensive.
This isn't really a post to say makeup is bad and that you shouldn't wear it. Like, I'm not going to discontinue my routine. I just feel like we should be more conscious of what values we are setting together in our society.
Oodles and oodles of love,
Helen
P.S. My eyebrows haven't gotten much TLC lately because I've been too busy pretending to study - a reflection of my life?
You’ve raised a great point. There is nothing wrong with makeup (other than being too expensive). There is no denying the self-esteem and confidence boost that comes with it. But it will still be sold with the aim of achieving that ideal standard of beauty. Also, the susceptibility of adolescent minds won’t change in a long time, so they’ll always be a market target.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, what we can do to create more inclusive values is establish a distinction between inner beauty (feeling comfortable in your own skin) and outer beauty (wearing makeup) so that people can still feel empowered even when they’re not adapting to certain standards/lifestyles.
This can easily be achieved through influential people who have the means to reach out. They are able to advocate independent thinking to a larger audience, they can strengthen young people, and they can portray the idea that your value isn’t determined by choosing to wear/not wear makeup.
The best thing is that it’s already happening and people are speaking out. For example, I remember there was an appreciation of #nofilter selfies and embracing your beauty without makeup.
This culture is already slowly changing. (But I think if a change does occur, we won’t be alive to see it.) We can still play a part though. In addition to the stronger voices, there are those of us who are still heard despite having smaller voices. This is because there are so many of us out there, so it’s creates more of a community. An example of this is the people who speak up about the significance of diversity. It’s really evident through forum posts and blog posts.
That’s why it’s really great that you’ve shared your thoughts on society’s detrimental value of perfection. Keep speaking up, keep sharing your opinions, even if you don’t have a high following yet! People are out there listening for sure. :)
To the both of you - all the best for your exams!
Thanks Sophie for you valuable input and your support.
DeleteI only hope that the world continues to strive for a sense of equality even though there is very little incentive to do so because of the minimal impact being made.
Hope you're doing well.
Helen x