I haven't posted in a long, long time. For personal reasons I care not to divulge, I have been MIA. But something has been on my mind a bit lately that's irritating and I felt the need to type about it.
I think it's great to encourage girls and women not to feel obligated to look a certain way. You don't have to wear makeup or fashionable clothing or have a skinny body in order to be a physically attractive person. Popular culture makes people think these ideals are what's right, and they're unfair, unrealistic expectations because a very small percentage of the populace looks like an underwear model (hell, even the Victoria's Secret models probably don't look that amazing once the makeup is off and the airbrushing is undone). However, annoyingly enough, no one can win! If you deny what is mainstream, some see you as authentic, and above it all, while others will find something negative about you lack of conformity. Then if you do wear makeup, or have the proposed "perfect" body, people will fawn over your beauty or ostracize you for it and assume you're vapid and narcissistic.
We just cannot let other people be.
I find it really annoying how looks/brains are mutually exclusive in people's minds. Sorry, but just because I wear dresses and makeup it doesn't mean that I'm lacking intelligence. My mother's mom wore makeup. My mom wears it. My older sister is a makeup artist! I wear makeup but don't assume that because I work some black liquid liner and red lips that I will not school you on Oscar Wilde's Soul of Man Under Socialism possibly give you verbal whiplash in the process. In the same vein, I know many women, be it my friends, family, or college professors who don't care for makeup. Some of them are really smart, others aren't, and many are beautiful all the same.
I don't really understand why we consider women brave who post a picture of themselves without makeup. It's still them, and why is it shocking to anyone that a woman can look great without it? You don't wear makeup. So what? I wear makeup. Yet again, so what?
There's nothing wrong with putting your best self forward, regardless of what you think that is. If it involves makeup and hair dye, super. If it doesn't, that's fine too. I'm tired of this idea that you should only focus on your personality and mind. Don't get me wrong, you should WANT to be smart and well rounded. But why do we assume that intelligence and personality are in an opposing binary to physical looks?
For me, personally, I like to strive for a balance of both because I feel more confident as a person. If I take the time to put on clothes I like, do my makeup, exercise, etc, I feel better. I'm not going to act like I am not insecure, and that I like makeup because it helps me to hide acne, eye luggage, and acne scars. However, I like to read. I enjoyed researching papers in undergrad--smart people stuff I suppose. I enjoy the occasional uppity foreign film, whatever. Oh yeah, and then I turn around and laugh at/make a joke about bodily fluids. If I ever have a daughter, I will absolutely encourage her to take care of herself in mind, body, and soul. If she'd like a lesson in liquid eyeliner, I'll surely help her but she'll know (of course) that she doesn't have to wear it if she doesn't want it. And, naturally, her ability to dress nicely will not impact her ability to analyze Macbeth or to ace Calculus, or to just have a personality and be a well-cultivated individual--which is, yet again an objective concept.
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