The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) aired last Sunday. Millions of viewers tuned in to see sexy performances, revolutionary spectacles and what seemed to be the ramblings of a psychopath. Among all the beat faces of each celebrity, Alicia Keys chose to go the more natural route and wear no makeup on her glowing skin.
Now I don’t think most of us wear makeup on a daily basis (at least I don’t) but regardless we have the choice to do so or not.
So why is Ms. Keys any different?
Keys chose to have a bare face because it is her face after all. She has the right to do what she wants with it. Yet she received a considerable amount of backlash on social media for doing just that, which is expected anytime a celebrity does something out of the “norm.”
However, the question isn’t why did Alicia Keys chose to stand out. The question should be: Why is it a problem for someone to simply be themselves?
Alicia Keys wrote in Lena Dunham’s newsletter “Lenny Letter” that she was tired of being "a chameleon."
There are so many trends that are constantly changing, yet somehow we are expected to become every one of them at the drop of a dime. Women are expected to be skinny, curvy but not too curvy, “Just A Lil' Thick” and now Teyana Taylor fit all at the same time.
I’m just going to tell you right now that being all of that is impossible. So I can see why Alicia Keys is pushing her No Makeup Movement.
Celebrities are expected to be perfect at all times and that is obviously overwhelming. In Alicia Keys's song, “When a Girl Can’t Be Herself” she says,
“In the morning from the minute that I wake up / What if I don't want to put on all that makeup / Who says I must conceal what I'm made of / Maybe all this Maybelline is covering my self-esteem.”
She’s tired of covering up who she is, and you should be too. If you feel like makeup or anything is causing you to feel insecure about who you are or what you look like, then stop it immediately. But if you love your makeup and express yourself through it then keep it up.
The point is that it is your choice. Do what makes you feel comfortable. Not because you think you have to.
Most of us believe celebrities have to wear makeup to big events. Alicia Keys is an example of how that isn't true.
If you have a problem accepting Alicia Keys's bare face, than maybe the problem is not with her, but most likely with something inside of you. I hope Alicia Keys's No Makeup Movement thrives and helps us all to realize that there is nothing wrong with just being yourself.
