Not Making This One Up…
Hi.
So, Katie’s post today was about makeup. Actually, more like lack thereof. Katie challenged her lady readers to post pictures of themselves with nudey faces and, never one to turn down a challenge, here goes:
Potola Palace, Lhasa, Tibet, 2009
Guangzhou, China, 2009
Genting, Malaysia, 2010
Legion of Honor Museum with Dad, San Francisco, 2009
Well, that was fun – though, apparently not for everyone else. It both saddened and astonished me to see how many commenters had self-deprecating things to say in reference to their own appearances, and that there was a general lack in desire to post nudey face pics on their own blogs. Some congratulated Katie on actually looking good without makeup, as though there was a possibility that she – or any other woman – could have looked significantly less gorgeous without it.
I suppose that this should not have surprised me, given the mass mediated world that we live in today. Of all the aspects about my appearance that frighten me, my nudey face is actually not one of them. Generally I assume that I have a pretty dismal score in terms of looks-wise confidence, and for this reason the cloud of self-consciousness generated from Katie’s post took me by surprise.
My relative confidence required investigation. One possibility I entertained was that having swam competitively from the ages of 5-20, learning to become indifferent to makeup was second nature. One tends to look ridiculous with mascara streaming down her face while doing the Butterfly. But my swimming theory was quickly nixed when taken in conjunction with the fact that having danced competitively from the ages of 6-16, learning to become dependent on makeup was also second nature to me. I wore makeup every day in high school. These days I wear makeup to work, but on the weekends I like showing my un-makeuped face around town. This development that took place only within the past couple of years. Don’t get me wrong, I still like makeup. I like the way that it smells and that it’s shimmery and it can be used as an artful medium of expression.
I wouldn’t say that this newfound embracing of my nudey face is at all because I’m more secure about my body image now than I was in the past; certainly, a lot of what I see in the mirror these days is distorted. But for me, my nudey face represents youth. It represents freshness, confidence, freedom, girlhood, and innocence. The pictures I posted were taken during a few of my most memorable moments throughout the past year, and I’m glad that the above qualities were captured therein. Perhaps my perspective has been influenced by the cultural norm in China that makeup is for grown-ups; something that can bring color back into their faces after the youth has slipped away, and otherwise irrelevant to a young, glowing face. I’ll take that view and run with it, at least as long as my youth permits me.
And you? Are there any arbitrary standards of beauty in society that you just don’t care about?
Today, My Bedroom, 2010
July 9, 2010 at 6:40 am
Terrific post, girl. And thank you so much for your comment today; it really made me stop and think (I answered you on my blog). Love the Guangzhou photo!
July 9, 2010 at 6:56 am
Ah! I love you! My first comment! Thank you for responding to my comment on your post, and for writing it in the first place – I admire you a lot, and I think what you’re doing is great.
July 10, 2010 at 10:35 am
I just found your blog, and this is such an awesome recipe! I love new ethnic foods and recipes that don’t take a thousand ingredients – best of all, I have all this in my cupboard right now! I think I’ll pick up a packet of rice in the next few days and give this a go!
July 10, 2010 at 11:53 am
Thank you Faith! I too am always on the lookout for a low-maintenance recipe – let me know how you like it!
July 11, 2010 at 4:33 am
I just found your blog and love this post. I was also an athlete growing up–including a swimmer–so makeup wasn’t something I was very concerned with (and I had a constant chlorine smell and swear my hair was never completely dry during two-a-days.) There was a short phase when I was more into looks and made sure to look tip-top when out in public, but the past couple years it’s the last thing that I worry about.
To be honest, part of it is that I just don’t know how to really apply make-up other than mascara and eyeliner. Don’t get me wrong… I wear make-up minimally on a daily basis and to work/going out, but I will never be someone who refuses to be seen until an hour of painting is complete on my face.
It’s not laziness, but rather I think I am more comfortable being “me” than most people. I go to the store after working in the yard, I go to the market Saturday morning without make-up, etc. and I love when I see others doing the same. It’s not a vanity thing at all, but rather just being comfortable with “you,” in any way, shape or form.
July 11, 2010 at 8:54 am
Hi Abby,
I’m so flattered that you popped by; I love your writing, and actually didn’t know that you used to be a swimmer! Cheers to the smell of chlorine on/in skin, hair, sheets…yeah.
And thanks for commenting, I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I really can’t put my finger what it is that is so liberating about not wearing makeup because on the flip side of things, it’s equally liberating for me to witness a male wearing makeup. I suppose in either case it’s I see it as personal (albeit insignificant) defiance of social norms. Though the immediate causes – whether laziness or insecurity or anything else – may not be worthy of celebration, the result – redefining what we “can” and “should” do, certainly is.