An early memory I have from my childhood is receiving a “cellphone” that instead of having working buttons, it held eight different shades of lip gloss. I would consider it my first introduction to the world of makeup and beauty. I took it with me everywhere and soon enough I had used all eight shades. My love affair with lip gloss and lipstick began there and soon I was wearing it everywhere; even on the playground at school. I would then discover blush, eye shadow, eyeliner and foundation. Through middle school, I would wear heavy eyeliner, inexperienced in how to make it even or make it look thin. My blush was never properly blended in and was sometimes too bright for my skin-tone. In the seventh grade my grade produced our own opera, written and directed by the students, costumes sewn and created by students with little teacher help. I volunteered for the makeup team and soon became more familiar with the techniques of proper makeup application. I finally knew how to do makeup properly. In eighth grade, it became apart of my morning routine. Get up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, wash face, do my makeup. You probably think I still do this now. You thought wrong.

When high school came around, something changed. I had less time in the morning to do my makeup. I was quickly becoming a stressed teenager who had little time to do things that weren’t homework, studying and writing 13-page essays about Nixon and Watergate. I had a bad habit of getting out of bed a little later than I should have and then be rushing through the apartment trying to get everything done before hopping on the train to school. Soon I was becoming less concerned about not having time to do makeup and eventually the bag of makeup on my dresser became a forgotten object and I was living my life without it. I actually felt content even though I wasn’t wearing makeup.

You’re probably wondering why I said even though, aren’t you? On August 28, 2016, American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys showed up at the MTV Video Music Awards without any makeup on and the internet blew up. I actually felt happy to see someone in the public eye go out and defy what society expects from women. They expect for women to look flawless in public, to look beautiful and mesmerizing and drop dead gorgeous and usually they expect that women wear makeup to impress everyone. The problem is that association; beauty=makeup. Beauty is an individual thing, it is not someone telling you what to do in order to be beautiful. I’ve heard countless times that “she might be a little prettier if she put on some makeup.” That expression makes me sick. I’ve been going through my Facebook news feed and seen articles titled, “OMG *insert name here* spotted without makeup!! Click here for the shocking photo!” Why is that profitable news? These articles feature famous individuals (actors, singers, models, etc.) all being skewered by the media because they decided not to wear makeup outside. I praise them as they help young girls and boys to embrace individuality and defining beauty for themselves.

And here is where I say this: I’m not anti-makeup. In fact, I own makeup. I wore makeup to my prom, graduation day and to a gala for a non-profit organization I worked with my senior year. I wear it on special occasions but during my regular day, I’m makeup free. It's a lifestyle I’ve embraced and am very content with. I believe that women and men (yep, that's right! There are some really awesome guys on YouTube that do amazing makeup tutorials) should decide what makes them beautiful without fear of judgement. I know a lot of people who love makeup and I fully respect them. Thousands of people have made a career out of it and there is nothing wrong with wearing it. I simply believe that it needs be seen more as a norm and embraced.

When you google ‘Alicia Keys No Makeup,’ an article comes up from the New York Daily News with the headline, "Here’s why people are annoyed with Alicia Keys." Turns out people are annoyed because she wanted to make a statement. Why is that statement bad? Why is it a negative thing that a woman stood up in a crowd and said something different from the norm? A statement can start a conversation and it looks like this an important conversation to have. Secondly, people are annoyed because there are some statistics that say we can’t put down the makeup brushes and eye-shadow palettes. Fortune Magazine reported that women who groom themselves and look “put together” make more than those who don’t look this way. That alarms me immensely as someone who will eventually be a working adult and earning an income.

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Daily News article also points out that we live in a society based on looks. That’s true but it doesn’t mean it is right. One day I hope to live in a world where someone cares more about what I have to say then how I look.