The cosmetics industry may be centered around photo-shopped and impossible-to-achieve trends, but it does provide a certain, invaluable service: Confidence. This may seem counter-intuitive, but I assure you it’s not. In spite of the messages the media tells – such as “X” is pretty, but “Y” is unacceptable – I thoroughly believe that makeup can be used as a building block for self-confidence and positive self-image.

One of my favorite beauty blogs, Temptalia, recently asked this question to its readers: “What misconceptions did you have you about makeup before getting into it?” The question pulled answers from across the board. Some women said that they didn’t have any misconceptions, while Christine, the woman who runs the site, said that she originally thought “that it was girly and superficial.”

Christine then went on to say that from running her makeup blog, she was able to see the amount of influence makeup has on her readers. She said that she saw how makeup had the power to be both a creative outlet, as well as a method to get through hard times. The majority of readers seemed to agree; makeup was a safe haven for them.

I do believe that there is a misconception about makeup. On a certain level, it is superficial. There is so much talk about natural beauty and how it is a preferable look, yet magazines and advertisements continue to dictate what level of natural is acceptable.

Freckles? No, we want flawless skin.

Gap teeth? Sometimes, but only with plump lips.

Dark skin? Only if they’re next to a white woman.

These beauty standards and limitations are, without argument, superficial. But how women feel about themselves is so much more than that. And that’s where makeup serves a much more important role.

There are plenty of ways for women to be confident – being successful in academics, playing sports, planning her career, and more. However, makeup is a special case because its benefits are represented both mentally and physically; it is a confidence booster, as well as a creative outlet because the face serves as a blank canvas. This isn’t to say that other confidence builders aren’t worthwhile, but instead that cosmetics has the potential to be an equally powerful force – not a shallow, vapid aspect of a woman’s life.

In the same way that an outfit may speak volumes about who you are and what you do, makeup can also tell a story. Maybe today it will be dramatic and daring, vampy and dark, sweet and innocent, bold and brave, or a simple enhancement of one’s features. There is the option for so many stories, no matter the chosen look.

The best part about makeup?

None of it determines who you are.

Really.

You get to decide who you are.

Not makeup. Not your friends. Not society.

You.

Instead of bowing down to the media, I challenge women to be themselves. If that means high heels, red lipstick, and a weave, then so be it. If it means basketball shorts, bedhead, and a bare face, then so be it.

What I propose is an openness and an acceptance of women and their personal choices. Makeup is one of many tools on the path to finding yourself and loving yourself. And how you travel that path should be decided by you, and only you.