Why “Makeup Free” Campaigns Miss The Mark

by Julia Rubin | 5:11 pm, October 10th, 2010

A group of Texas teens has founded Redefining Beautiful, a club “celebrating natural beauty and self-confidence.” StyleList reported on the group, whose members go makeup free on Tuesdays. The girls in the club had this to say:

The concept of not wearing makeup has nothing to do with makeup products. It’s all about letting your personality shine.

We want girls to be confident with or without the makeup, letting themselves be true to who they really are.

This type of natural beauty campaign brings up some interesting issues. Though it’s true that some girls may lack confidence and wear makeup for the wrong reasons, the decision to wear (or not wear) makeup is a choice. What bothers me about the whole “makeup free Tuesday” thing is this: many of the girls that are going barefaced on Tuesdays still like wearing makeup Wednesday through Monday.

What’s the point? If a girl feels confident without makeup, great! If a girl likes the way she looks with makeup on, great! The focus should be on being comfortable with yourself. Period. You can “be true to who you really are” and wear makeup at the same time — the two are not at all mutually exclusive. Girls shouldn’t be shamed for wearing makeup, just as they shouldn’t be shamed for not wearing it.

What do you think about going makeup free?