When I was little, I noticed freckles starting to appear all over my face, and I absolutely hated them. Every day, I thought I was ugly and couldn’t wait until I was old enough to wear foundation to hide them all. It’s sad to think that I felt that way as a first-grader. Society’s ever-changing expectations always leave someone on the outside hurt and feeling isolated from the rest.

My mother never let me wear makeup until my sophomore year of high school, so my techniques are still severely lacking. It frustrated me when I was younger that I needed makeup to make myself feel beautiful, yet I had no idea how to execute.

As I got older, more and more freckles appeared, and my confidence shattered. People wouldn’t stop commented, saying it looked like I was covered in dirt. None of my friends had freckles, so it felt as though something was wrong with me. Middle school was the epiphany of hating every part of my body, but I now know I was not alone.

Believe it or not, Natasha Bedingfield’s song "Freckles" helped me start to love my freckles and myself in general. I realized that freckles are pretty rare and completely unique. How could I possibly cover up something so unique and wonderful? From that point on, I decided that I didn’t need any form of makeup to enhance my beauty. My eyelashes don’t need to be extra black and my face looks perfectly fine with its red blotches and freckles.

Now, I’m not saying that I never wear makeup. If I’m feeling fancy or just in the mood, then I will because it’s my life and my choice. However, I live my life knowing that I am content without makeup. I always laugh at the bonding question, “what’s one makeup product you can’t live without?” I don’t want to rely on an object to represent my confidence or ruin my entire day if I wake up late and can’t ‘put my face on’. I’m working on self-love this year and every year. For me, that means mascara is just mascara and not a tool to give me happiness with each stroke.

I want to emphasize that I have lots of friends that LOVE makeup, and I respect and admire them so much. Makeup is a beautiful art that I wish I could learn. I’m simply stating that women and men should not feel pressured by society to use makeup in order to fit within a box. We should use it for expression and uniqueness, while also acknowledging our beautiful, wonderful, natural selves.