Let's just get one thing out of the way: I have nothing against women who choose not to wear makeup.
What's included in your "getting ready routine" is your business.
Pick up a mascara wand, or don't pick up a mascara wand; I have no judgment either way.
With that said, there seems to be an awful lot of advice for women when it comes to what we "should" or "shouldn't" be doing to our faces.
The Internet likes to celebrate those ladies who choose to rock the bare skin look, as though they deserve a medal just for abstaining from foundation.
We applaud these women as though they have turned down hard drugs instead of concealer.
There's a fine line between empowerment and condescension when it comes to this topic.
On one hand, it's important to support the positive self-esteem of women. We should all do our part to help young females empower themselves.
Amy Schumer's "Girl, You Don't Need Makeup" video comes to mind, as it's intended to be a positive message to help boost young girls' body image.
But, there is a problem here. And that problem is a tiny word: need.
There's an assumption women who choose to wear makeup do so because they have poor self-images; any woman who wears makeup "needs" to in order to feel beautiful.
But, what about the women who simply want to wear makeup?
To take this one step further, can we put a moratorium on the "men prefer women who wear less makeup" angle?
Ladies, we should be wearing makeup for ourselves, not for the guys. Let's drop this argument and start striving toward our own satisfaction when looking in the mirror.
I've been wearing makeup since I was a teenager. I probably go through several tubes of mascara and liquid liner in one year.
I can spend hours in Sephora, and I love reading fashion and beauty blogs to stay current on the latest trends.
I know I'm not alone.
For me, and likeminded women, makeup is an extension of fashion. It complements or enhances an outfit.
It changes with the seasons, and it transforms the day into the night.
I rock my red lipstick not out of poor self-image but because I simply like it. My bathroom shelves are filled with tubes and brushes, but that doesn't mean I'm insecure.
For some women, makeup is not about "needing" to feel beautiful.
In fact, it is not a need at all. It is a luxury, a treat or an accessory.
When we imply women reach for makeup because of self-doubt, we undermine our entire gender.
We insinuate we are incapable of thinking for ourselves, that we are simply products of Hollywood and the media.
It says we have succumbed to societal pressures and are nothing more than a bunch of lemmings wearing eyeliner.
I think we can all agree we are better than that.
Let's start celebrating our various lifestyle choices rather than shaming one another for being different.
We are more than our morning rituals, and the women who are ready to walk out the door with bare faces are just as strong and respectable as those who get up a little earlier to apply their BB cream.
The woman in your office whose skin is devoid of foundation could be just as self-assured as the woman who sports a cat eye.
We can't be so ignorant as to believe we can determine a woman's confidence level based upon the colors of her eyelids.
Ultimately, it's clear we don't "need" makeup. But some of us choose it anyway, and that is nothing to apologize for.
