Alicia Keys’ #NoMakeupMovement made me confident in my makeup-free life
Your bare face is beautiful as is
Around June of 2016, Alicia Keys started the #NoMakeUp Movement conveying the message that, sure – if you want to wear make-up, so be it, but at the same time it’s not necessary.
When I was younger I hated my mom putting me in dresses. For a large majority of my childhood I spent time playing with the my twin brother and the other boys on my street. The furthest extent of my girlishness was when my mother put barrettes in my hair, and maybe a shirt with a flower on the front, but that’s about it. As I got older, I began to stray from my tomboy ways, but one thing remained the same: I had no interest in wearing makeup.
I would never knock anyone else who enjoys wearing wear make-up (do you boo!), but it personally makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable. When my friends talk about the new NAKED palette they just bought from Sephora, I can’t relate. My first thought is usually something like, “do you know how much food you could have bought with that?”
Everything in the entertainment industry has to do with your image – what you look like, your weight, your hair. The media makes it seem as if you need make-up to feel attractive or confident, which has trickled into the daily routine of so many many women throughout the ages. So many trends today push for women to conform to a certain look, resulting in a whole lot of clones. To me, that’s always been a bunch of bullshit, which is why I love what Alicia Keys is doing.
I went through my entire high school career without wearing make-up. No one, other than my mother, ever questioned it – at least not to my face. The only time I was willing to put it on was for school dances or other special occasions. Alicia is a role model for women like me who have already been doing this for ages – she is bringing the movement into the public eye.
Besides, if you’re putting make-up on for a selfie all you really need is good lighting. I have yet to change my mindset on this.
After seeing Alicia Keys start this movement, I began to feel even more appreciative of my physical appearance regardless of the blemishes I might have. Blemishes, freckles, beauty marks or whatever else show the authenticity of a person, and this is so important to embrace. I love my bare face and my skin. I love my realness. I am who I am and that’s what makes me different from others.