If there is one thing that I love in my life, it's makeup. Many other women, and even some men, can attest to this statement. There is something so fun and relaxing about grabbing your makeup bag and deciding what look you want to try today. This is why it can become a tad bit tiresome when all that I ever seem to hear is that liking makeup as a hobby makes you less of a person, or that the only reason that women seem to do it is for men.
When I picked up my first lipstick in elementary school I already knew that makeup was going to become a pleasure of mine and it mostly is. Lots of girls across the world do their makeup all the time, every single day, and some of them love it. Some of them even make a living off of it. Oddly enough, however, there is this stigma that seems to come with enjoying makeup. People think that girls who enjoy makeup are always stuck-up, self-absorbed, and don't have a clue as to what goes on in the world outside the doors of Sephora.
This isn't true. Everyone who enjoys makeup is their own person with their own thoughts and their own beliefs. They shouldn't be dumbed down to a stereotype because of something that they enjoy. It's seemingly okay for men to enjoy sports and to know every player on every team, or to know about cars and every model made, so why is it different for a woman who knows different aspects about makeup and enjoys it?
It isn't.
Makeup is just as valid of a hobby as any other hobby that you or anyone can think of, no matter if it is a man or a woman enjoying it. It's not specified to any one gender, despite the fact that many people think that it is.
I have been told many times that I look prettier without my makeup on, or that I don't need it (and many of these statements have been told to me by men), but not once have I put makeup on because I "needed it" or because I hated the way that I look without it. Being told this constantly, it's almost as if people (more men than women, in my experience) think that I, along with other women, put on makeup for the sole purpose of looking good for men. It definitely can make us feel more confident around men on a night out, or in public, but it is not the reason that most of us women do it.
Most women put makeup on for ourselves. We sit in front of our mirror for two hours, struggling with our eyeliner and perfect contouring because we feel good about the way that we look with makeup on and because we enjoy the process. Our reasons are our own and they solely benefit ourselves. Even if a women puts on makeup because she thinks that she needs it, because she prefers it over her bare face, there is nothing wrong with that. She's doing it for herself, because it makes her feel good about herself, and there is nothing better than feeling confident in yourself.
Makeup is fun and anyone can enjoy it, but what we can't enjoy are the annoying stereotypes that come with it.
