Self-Love & Make-up

I recently received a question about self-love and it’s correlation to wearing make-up and using filters. I’d LOVE to share my thoughts to start an empowering dialogue.

First and foremost, I strongly believe that we are all uniquely beautiful and one of a kind. I believe that we are all beautiful without make-up or filters, AND I have no judgment towards those who choose to wear it.

I also know the vast majority of women today have grown up in a society and culture that inflicts unrealistic pressure and expectations to look flawless 24/7.

The media teaches us that we are not good enough as we are and therefore need their products and services to fit their definition of beauty. They prey on our insecurities, and they fear the day we realize it’s all a bunch of bullshit.

This brainwashing is one of the many reasons women choose to wear make-up and use filters on their photos. But, there are other reasons as well that have nothing to do with being insecure or not loving yourself fully.

Make-up and filters can be fun and creative!

Growing up as a dancer, I had a very specific relationship to make-up. I rarely wore it unless I was performing on stage when it was required. Because I practically lived in the dance studio sweating for many hours per day, make-up was useless. It would just sweat right off ?

I had pretty bad acne through my teen years, and I would use powder to cover up my blemishes. Then I realized make-up was only making my face break out more.

So, I stopped wearing it unless it was required for shows. The less make up I wore and the better I ate, the more my skin radiated.

When I started posting on social media in my early twenties, I felt the pressure to look perfect in all of my photos. I would photoshop out my cellulite and blemishes to look a certain way in the public eye. It took me years to get over this and make peace with my imperfections.

I’ve done a tremendous amount of inner work to learn how to love myself unconditionally, and it’s still a daily practice.

Nowadays I play with make-up and filters because it’s fun! I thoroughly enjoy getting all glammed up (it makes me feel like a queen!), but it’s not my daily thing.