It’s a well-known fact that the internet has made it easier than ever for people to bully. Some little person with angry words and fast fingers and a knack for technology, sitting in a dark room behind a screen, pouring hateful words into the minds of the vulnerable—we all know about it. It’s a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. One target that these internet bullies seem to love is makeup.

Makeup has been a topic of controversy for years—should it be used, at what age should it be used, who can use it—and today there is a wide open space waiting for people to toss their two cents into. The most popular issues lately have been the amount of effort one puts into his or her makeup and how makeup supposedly affects trust.

Let me tell you why this is a problem.

First of all, makeup is a standard set by our society which is imposed upon girls at a young age and instilled in them as they grow into women. Even if you disagree, let me share a personal experience that I know countless other women have also experienced. I woke up late. Too late. I didn't have time to put on a full face of makeup. I slapped on some blush and curled my eyelashes and flew out the door in a state of dread. Nearly half of my encounters in that day involved the question, "Are you sick?" or "Are you okay?" And let me tell you, I was fine until that question came up!

Society has taught women to police other women on their state of makeup just as society has taught men to police other men on the level of manliness they display (check out Jeffreys' Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices of the West, chapter 6: "Making Up is Hard to Do" and Kimmel's "Masculinity as Homophobia" if you need further convincing). Because makeup is a societal expectation, it's extraordinarily vicious to tear individuals down for partaking in something they've grown up learning is expected from them, when they know they'll also be torn down for resisting it.

On a less classroom-y, but just as educational note, makeup is viewed as an art form by those who love it. Artists may catch some flack from those who see the profession as a side job, but tell me: what would the world be without art? Makeup gives some individuals an outlet for expression and a source of confidence and that should never be taken away. People who refuse to conform have their own awesome source of confidence and that should be appreciated too. Makeup is just a way to amplify the beauty that is already there in every individual. When did it become such a target for hate?