Bold. Beautiful. Brave.
Visionary artist, Alicia Keys, is giving us all the feels for what we hope to be a revolution after recently starting a powerful #nomakeup campaign.
The message behind her movement is to empower young girls to simply be themselves.
Alicia's movement all began after a photoshoot she had for the cover of an album. Instead of following the initial agenda of getting all glammed up, her photographer, Paola, insisted Alicia be photographed bare face and raw. In her essay "Time to Uncover", Alicia mentions, "I swear it is the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly beautiful that I have ever felt."
"Time to Uncover" is a statement written by Keys that goes into detail about her journey in search for self-discovery and self-acceptance.
Like Keys, many celebrities have posted make-up free selfies in solidarity of ending scrutiny, but there's just something about Alicia Keys' movement that manifests great truth.
It's become so easy to be subject to the media's portrayal of how women should dress, look, and be rather than express our natural selves. It's a shame because we're exposed to unrealistic images of women suppressing themselves by putting on this 'face' for society, literally and figuratively speaking. And this is what shapes the idea of our self-concept. We compare our attributes to those of others. We mask our identities to be more like everyone else. But for what?
Girls, why do we do this? Admit that there has been a time where you've taken one look at someone else, whether it's been in public, or someone you've seen on television or in a magazine, that instantly had you feel overcome with insecurities. It's in those moments that we forget our worth.
We try so hard to 'fit in' that we lose sight of who we are.
Keys closes her statement with powerful words, "I don't want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing."
I stand by this movement, and I think you should too.
Above being an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and powerful activist, Keys is a multiple Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter, as well as an actress and producer. Alicia Keys is the girl on fire.
