Is makeup good or bad?

Photo from: The Hollywood gossip.com

If you have Twitter then you may have heard about the attention circulating around a before and after photo of a glamorous makeover. The photos have stirred up controversy and debate about whether or not makeup is good or bad. If you have not heard about it or seen these photos you can find them by clicking HERE

I think the main problem people have with the photos is that it represents what people are suppose to look like in society today rather than what they actually look like. Some comments in support of the photo claim that makeup can make “normal” or “ugly” girls look pretty, and that with the magic of makeup you can no longer tell what a person really looks like.

I can see how these views would oppose makeup; women should feel beautiful regardless of having a face heavily cloaked in cosmetics and know that beauty is not the factor that defines who you are. People who judge their self worth based on looks and the opinions of others cannot be content with themselves because beauty is subjective. No matter how hard you try or how much makeup you pat on you won’t be attractive to every single person you come across and you can’t please everyone. Ideally women should do what makes them feel great and look the way they want; not to impress others but to enhance their existing feelings of confidence and positive self worth.

Completely changing the way a woman looks to make her more presentable for the public is not a new concept. Magazine ads are always trimming inches off thighs; erasing fine lines and making excess skin disappear. I have no idea if the woman who participated in this makeover was happy or felt good about herself, but I do know that no matter what you look like on the outside you are still essentially you.

There are many reasons women may not be happy with their looks or body, and those reasons could stem from many different experiences, but to address those issues and change that thought process you have to first get to the root of the problem which I doubt is makeup. People should have a sense of realistic expectations. Every day we are bombarded with misleading airbrushed images that are impossible to live up to and achieve. Self worth is a mindset; it is about knowing who you are and liking and accepting who you are with or without makeup.

Dressing well, looking polished, wearing makeup and putting your best self forward can boost your confidence and there is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best. Not every woman who decides to contour her nose, define her cheek bones and wear lipstick has low self esteem or is hiding behind her makeup. I wear makeup because I like it. I wear it to enhance my features, to add some variety and color to my face and to have fun with the way I look. Makeup can be artistic, enhancing and creative it is not always a mask that aims to make us all more presentable to the world or hide who we are. If you are using it for those reasons then your issues do not reside within the use of makeup but within yourself.