From the age of 13, I've been wearing makeup. It started out as a very innocent infatuation. You know how it goes: you start with the tinted lip balm at age eight and later dabble in the art of lip gloss, and before you know it you're 20 and have a full on love affair with all things Sephora, MAC--really anything you can get your hands on (still waiting on my Kylie Lip Kit, but I digress). Makeup has played such a vital role in my life that when I was in high school and given the opportunity to get an Esthetician’s license, I took it. My favorite part of that course was getting to apply makeup, and now I'm fully licensed and able to do that as side work in my free time.

Seeing as makeup is a passion of mine, like any good 21st-century young adult, I took to Instagram and YouTube to watch how others did their makeup, and I was shocked at some of the things I saw. It wasn't how people were doing their makeup (that part was flawless), it was the comments being left beneath these well-done pieces of facial art that that really upset me.

“Reasons why you should take girls swimming on the first date.” “If you need that much makeup, you’re actually ugly.” “Quit trying so hard.” “Reasons why I have trust issues.” I was appalled. Did these people, hidden behind a screen, really believe that what they were saying to the girl who made the video was constructive? Did they think it would make her all of a sudden stop wearing makeup and say, “Oh yeah, my mind is changed. No more makeup. It’s obsolete now because some guy on my Instagram told me he wouldn’t date a girl with so much makeup,” or some variation of that? It struck me as odd that these people felt as if they had some sort of say over what this girl did, and it made me mad that people could be so judgmental. Who were they? Did they know this girl? Why is it such a common theme that people are calling it out and shutting it down en masse?

Here’s the truth: I have no shame in my makeup game. I wear it and proudly so. I don’t wear my makeup for the guy I’m going out on a date with, I don’t wear it to fit into society, I wear it because it makes me feel good about myself. Funny thing about that--I do my makeup for myself! If I could shout it from the rooftops, I would. Why is it so hard to believe that sometimes, when we do things that fall into the realm of vanity, it’s actually for ourselves? Is it such an outlandish thought to treat ourselves? I reserve the right to be completely and irrevocably happy with my matte beige skin tone and berry lipstick.

It’s more than the comments that get to me, though. It’s the thought and frequency at which we are being told what to do by our peers. I want my generation to realize that life is not a competition that’s merits running people over. Life is a sheet of glass--as easy as you can look into someone else’s life and judge, they can do the exact same to you. We live in a world where the most likes, shares and retweets win. Where throwing shade at someone because it will make your squad laugh is a pastime. It doesn’t need to be this way. I know it and I can see it. There is so much positivity and girl power, motivation by all genders too (yay bro power!) it’s amazing to me. I want to fight for a world where people aren’t looked down upon because of the selfies they take or the makeup they wear. I want people to live their life in a healthy manner, and feel free to be themselves.

I propose that we let this world be one of live and let live. Snapchat all the special moments, wear all the products you can afford, be who you want to be with no regrets for now or the future. Be kind to people, and be less critical. Just because you can be condemning of a person behind the anonymity of a keyboard, it doesn’t mean you should. As the old adage goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” We all learned what a lie it was in third grade, and even more so later in life. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to go put on some of MAC’s best and take a lovely new Facebook profile picture, because I can--like I said, live and let live, my friends!