I’m an all natural kind of girl. I’m anti-makeup and I believe in authenticity. I don’t alter or change my hair color or its natural body and texture. I get breakouts now and then and I have a few stray grey hairs on my head. My hair is sometimes frizzy and is moody depending on the weather. But I believe all these things are beautiful because they are my natural self. I am human. Period. These are things I feel very strongly about, especially in our current culture of fillers, Botox, plastic surgery, beauty treatments and alterations, makeup stores in every shopping center, photo filters, and all the other things that the beauty industry is trying to sell. I have never seen a woman, regardless of age, who looks better or prettier with makeup or alterations to her hair or body.
I don't believe that wearing makeup, dying your hair or changing the natural texture and body of your hair is authentic. I believe there is a serious problem with the messages those things send, especially to young girls and boys. And I think it's high time women and men started living authentically. It's high time women stood up for themselves and quit giving into the beauty industry and culture and society's expectations and ideas of what so-called beauty is. There are women out there doing this, and I am one of them. I'm not saying we're some great pioneers or superheroes or incredibly magnificent or better than others. But I am saying that we know our worth, we stand up for ourselves, we protect little girls and boys from the toxic and harmful messages and standards of beauty, and we celebrate, embrace, and love our natural beauty. The beauty we were born with. We won't mutilate our faces and bodies with makeup or procedures or dyes, nor will we show a false beauty by using photo filters and editing our bodies to look different than they do in real life.
Not only are women and girls affected by these things, but men and young boys are too. Men no longer know what a true, real woman looks like. They have this idea of perfection due to what they see online, on TV, in magazines, and also in the p*rn industry. Little boys grow up never seeing a woman in her natural self. They grow up with a distorted view of how a woman looks. Little girls are majorly affected by this. Girls are beginning skin routines, beauty regimens and starting procedures at younger and younger ages. It's honestly disturbing beyond words! They grow up being told how cute and beautiful they are when they are little, and then when puberty hits, time to straighten your hair, wear makeup, get your nails done, have your eyebrows perfected...and the list goes on and on. This is downright child abuse. There's no other way to put it.
The people young girls look up to are problematic, to put it very lightly. Hollywood and celebrities are screwing with their minds from a young age. I know a lot of teenage and young adult girls are really into K-Pop these days, and I'm here to tell you, I have never seen an industry more toxic and fake and dangerous than I have with K-Pop (for far more reasons than just the beauty standards, though that would be reason enough to avoid this trend...if you are unaware, or worse yet, ignorant about these things, may I encourage you to really look into this industry? If you still think it's okay to support this industry and encourage young girls and women to be into K-Pop, maybe you need to open your eyes and see the reality of such an industry.). I have actually watched a lot of K-Pop content and read a ton (more than I care to admit) about this industry out of sheer curiosity and I can't tell you how disturbed I am. The fact that parents, mothers especially, encourage and support their daughters following K-Pop astounds me. I thought Hollywood was bad, but noooo. As they say "you haven't seen anything yet"...that's what I found to be true about the K-Pop industry. Honestly, the things that are allowed, promoted, forced upon individuals, etc. is beyond imaginable. And if you are unaware of what your daughters (and perhaps you, yourself) are allowing to influence you, please wake up!
But, indeed, Hollywood is no better. The way girls and women dress to attend concerts these days is a sure sign that females don't have any self-worth or respect. And the singers themselves on stage...the nerve they have to strut around the stage wearing outfits that resemble p*rn images and promoting vulgarity and the sexualization of women and men alike through their actions and lyrics along with their clothing is unfathomable. I'm thinking of one popular performer, in particular, with the initials T.S. who is all the rage right now. Honestly. Girls are being sexualized younger and younger and parents, mothers in particular, are the ones driving it. Wake up!
(The two mentioned specifics above are simply two examples...there are a ton more out there. I really believe we need to be careful and mindful of who we are allowing to influence us (more than may be realized just by looking at the surface), and especially young girls and teenagers. This is really serious and has lasting effects and consequences! And just so you know, you may want to really translate those foreign lyrics and make sure you are getting a true translation, at that. Many of the songs with fun beats and such have incredibly inappropriate and sexual lyrics and you have no idea because you don't understand the language. This honestly shocked me!)
And in all honesty, there is far better music out there to fill your ears with! Seriously. Music that doesn't sexualize, showcase bad morals and vulgarity, and so on. I could really go on and on about this topic, but I'll stop myself here. My sister and I talk about this all the time as she shares my fiery passion on this topic equally, in fact probably more so.
You don't have to believe in modesty for this to ring true, either. Modesty is contrived of rules and regulations and places shame on the body as well as blame on women for simply being human and having a human body. And it's not something I believe in at all. But I'm here to tell you there is something called decency, and the opposite of decency is the sexualization and exploitation and abuse and mutilation of natural bodies. Bodies are natural human things. And to sexualize every aspect of them or to change them from how they originally were is messed up in every sense of the word.
There are women online sharing about this topic much more in depth and eloquently, though passionately and truthfully, than I ever could. I strongly encourage you to do research on this topic. It's crucially important. It's serious, more than you could imagine. It's not something as seemingly innocent as little girls playing makeup and wearing mommy's high heels or little boys hearing the subtle jokes and comments their fathers are making about women. It's all that and much, much more.
With all that seriousness talked about...
I believe in feeling beautiful in your natural self and skin…here are my personal “beauty” tips…
Wear clothes you feel totally comfortable in. Clothes that make you feel like yourself. Don’t pay attention to trends and such. Dress for you and no one else.
Keep your hair clean and enjoy its natural beauty. Use healthy shampoo and conditioner and let your hair air dry naturally. Even better if it can dry in fresh air, at least somewhat.
Wear comfy shoes. Say no to heels and shoes that make your feet hurt. These are not healthy for your feet at all, nor are they comfortable.
Wear a pretty headband or clips in your hair. Perhaps add a flower or barrette that is cute. Try gentle hairstyles on your hair.
Add simple jewelry to your outfits. This is a fun way to express your personality and add something special to your everyday outfits.
Use the simplest skincare routine you can. The fewer products, the better. A simple face wash, a simple moisturizer and that’s all. I keep it super simple. Let your skin B R E A T H E.
And ditch the makeup! Own your natural beauty and be damn proud of how you look!
Instead of perfume or body sprays, use essential oils. I love a blend of lavender, rosemary and geranium oil for the most beautiful scent. And they have peaceful, calming effects too! Win win!
Wear undergarments made of healthy materials...cotton. Ditch the underwires and go for cotton, breathable bras that are healthy. If you feel comfortable, try going braless more often, too...try getting more and more comfortable with this. I know that in our society this can feel weird, but in other countries, it's much more normal and accepted. It's high time women's bodies be seen for what they are...simply human bodies and not something to sexualize and gawk at.
Choose feminine products for your period that are healthy and don't have all that toxic crap in them. Ditch tampons and go for reusable pads or disposable pads made of healthy ingredients. I've seen period underwear out there as well that seems to be made of healthy materials, but I don't know much about them. Have a healthy period...make it non-negotiable.
Reprogram your mindset about beauty and self-worth and human bodies. Unlearn all those toxic things that, unfortunately, you probably grew up hearing, whether it was intentional or not. You owe this to yourself...and if you have children or will one day have children, you owe it to them, too. Tremendously!
Learn self-worth and self-respect and learn to love yourself just the way you are. Know that you are enough, you are perfect, you are beautiful, you deserve happiness, you deserve good things, you deserve peace. Know these things and repeat them to yourself as often as possible until you believe them to be true. Like, really, really believe it.
And STOP APOLOGIZING for your natural appearance. If you choose to not wear makeup or alter your hair's natural-ness, or wear clothes that are actually comfortable, don't apologize for it. That is a toxic habit that you need to break. Stop apologizing for looking like a human and for being authentic.
Be proud of yourself, too. In a world where fillers, Botox, plastic surgery, beauty procedures and treatments, makeup and hair dye, photo filters, and so on are all the rage, be proud of yourself for owning your authentic self. It takes a damn lot of courage to be authentic in today's world and I think we should all pat ourselves on the back a little more often. There ain't nothing wrong with being proud of yourself for celebrating your authentic, natural beautiful you.
Be confident in being your authentic self! In a world of fake beauty and false perceptions of beauty, embrace your natural self and know that you are beautiful...
You. Are. Beautiful.
Repeat after me:
I am beautiful.