#NoMakeUp Movement

I have always thought that being unable to leave your house without make-up was ridiculous but I find the #NoMakeUp Movement even more ridiculous!

Why must everything these days be a damn movement?! Wear make-up or don't, what's the big deal? By shaming women who wear make-up aren't you causing the same low self-esteem and division you are fighting against?

Is this really necessary?!

I have mentioned in a previous post that I'm not a make-up person (Side bar: I have recently become obsessed with lipsticks and now have an impressive collection if I do say so myself! I might even do a post on it lol.), other than the fact that I prefer a fresh face to a 'beat' face, I'm too lazy to create the time to apply and remove make-up every day so I stick to the occasional wear. Having said that, I am aware that I have the luxury of being lazy because I'm lucky enough to have clear skin. Cue Alicia Keys.

I'm sure that those of us who are old enough to know the 'pre-home wrecking' Alicia Keys (yeah I said it!) will remember that Ms Keys had really troublesome skin and that make-up didn't do much to cover up her frequent break-outs. This didn't stop us from buying her music or being fans, in fact we couldn't get enough of her and her canerows (cornrows for my Americans)!

Circa 2002

So flash forward a decade or so, Alicia Keys decides to ANNOUNCE that she will no longer be wearing make-up. I found it mildly irritating. I mean, who cares? Do you. Why not just step out with no make-up, why the announcement? But you know, celebrities do as celebrities do. THEN this whole #NoMakeUp nonsense started to circulate and people were being accused of hating themselves because they wore make-up. Now I was really irritated.

There are women that have deep rooted insecurities and use make-up to mask that, but to accuse all women of having this issue? C'mon son!

In the words of Tami Roman (Instagram: @officialbonnetchronicles):

"My truth, I need some motherfucking lipgloss. When I go out my house I bring my got-damn lipgloss ...because I know my lips are always motherfucking dry! I need it and some of y'all need some shit too!"

I luh me some Tami!

She uses some very decorative language but she's right, some people need make-up/cosmetics. Not everyone has the luxury of going au naturel, some people need to cover what they deem to be imperfections. Would you condemn people for using deodorant just because 'powder fresh' isn't their natural scent? I didn't think so.

And this is the issue I have with Alicia's announcement. She states that part of the reason for her new make-up free approach is that she has now learned to love herself and that her wearing make-up was her not embracing herself, but how much embracing did she have to do when she has gotten rid of the imperfections that make-up helped her cover? Her skin is now smooth and even, her eyebrows and lashes look like they've had a year's worth of castor oil treatment and she is now a married woman which means she has the attention of the only man she should be concerned with, if those aren't confidence boosters I don't know what are.

2016

Let me be clear, Alicia has every right to wear or not wear make-up but implying that make-up's sole purpose was to cover up insecurities is unfair to the countless women who are drunk in love with themselves but prefer to use concealer to look awake in the morning or foundation to even out their skin tone.

This is what a little concealer can do

It's really tiring to go on social media and see women bashing each other for their choice of style, it's bad enough that men are calling women 'decepticons' (Google it! Lol!) but to see a woman with a similar struggle and a padded bra joining in is really emotionally draining. Don't get me wrong, some women do need new friends and a cochlear implant so that they can get some sound advice but in general, everyone is just trying to get by so why not leave them to it? Why create a movement that will only further divide women?

This is where real friends step in.

My cynical side believes that this is all a PR stunt and that the announcement was a way for Alicia Keys to re-introduce herself in the hopes that we will all forget that she is a home wrecking heifer the part she played in the dissolution of Swizz Beatz and Mashonda's marriage.

Make-up or no make-up, self love should be everyone's goal and how each person chooses to display that should be nobody else's business. Let a sistah live!

I am my sisters' keeper