When you think of beauty, what do you see? Is it penciled in eyebrows, the 'perfect' contour, plumped and glossy lips? Society has quickly told the rest of the world the way it should be. I was sitting at home one evening, reading my October issue of Vogue magazine whilst sipping my coffee when I came across this extremely intriguing article. Immediately I was intrigued. Not just because it mentioned the word 'beauty', but more so because it highlighted the crisis and impact of society and the modern media. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to rant. You all know I obsess over beauty and cosmetics, but a part of me likes to speak passionately about the social norms of society itself. It's always important to understand and acknowledge that sometimes your passion can influence and alter others perceptions of themselves, maybe even yourself. "The best project you'll ever work on is you."As soon as I read the title, I knew I would thoroughly enjoy this article. Although I am an absolute beauty fanatic, I constantly see girls being victimised thanks to the media. Within Vogue's October issue, the article began with understanding what people seem to accept as perfect beauty, "A beauty neither of fine colour nor long eyelash, nor pencilled brow, but of meaning, of movement of radiance..." when I read this I loved the emphasis on balance, nothing too much, nothing to little. Female beauty (if we are speaking of makeup) should compliment you, but not overpower your natural beauty. For me, if you asked me what beauty is, I certainly wouldn't immediately jump to the assumption of that perfect, dewy and oil free foundation, followed by thick contour and lighter concealer. Makeup and beauty are different in my eyes. Makeup is a way of creating art and being able to test out different styles and looks e.g. the smokey eye or strobing, whereas beauty is very much natural and usually shows more through the way you are around others and how you act, as opposed to how you look or how well you can blend. Society, in my eyes, has seemed to emphasise the idea that natural beauty and confidence should come from how well your highlight glows or how long you can make your eyelashes and how dark and definitive you can get your eyebrows. There's nothing I love more than spending an hour or more perfecting my makeup, allowing myself to feel good, but for me I always keep in mind that we aren't defined by the beauty we create. "The biggest act of rebellion we have left in make-up is not to use any." Sometimes I sit and wonder if I was to go around a group of girls and ask how many of those could walk outside or go to school without any makeup on, I wouldn't be shocked if most, if not all, simply wouldn't. Most of the best friends I've had throughout high school and sixth form, couldn't even leave the house to go shopping for two hours without applying makeup or even having a sleepover, the full face would still be applied. Throughout some of my high school years, I'd be exactly the same. I would come downstairs and my mum would say, "Why have you got all that makeup on? We aren't going anywhere today." being a stroppy teenager I'd usually respond with, "you don't understand" or "because I felt like it". I often think, what if I wasn't so influenced by the media and society? Would I of been the same? apply layers and layers of makeup? Would I be applying contour and feeling the need to shape and pencil in my eyebrows daily? The most empowering people, to me, are those who can stand out from the crowd. I get annoyed with myself that I don't feel able to be seen even at work without at least foundation applied because why should I feel defined by that of makeup? Something which doesn't show my natural face anyways? Something which is always important to remember is that women should never be defined by beauty, should never feel embarrassed about how they look without makeup on, without thicker or fuller eyebrows or short eyelashes, should never be judged when they feel confident enough to go out without it. I used to apply my Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Kit on a daily basis and you can imagine how that must have been for my skin. Now I try to keep it to the minimum, especially for work. I haven't touched my contour kit for two to three months now and I'm happy I made that change. "Inhale confidence, exhale doubt. Take a deep breath and believe in yourself. You got this." My favourite quote that I live by has to be "Be the best version of yourself" currently promoted largely on my new blog/website for my A-level Media Studies. I think that such a quote applies wonderfully to this current topic of debate. "It's about individuality: there is no one consistent element on each girl. They stand on their own." You always hear people wanting to be like Kendall Jenner or calling models such as Gigi Hadid "Goals" the most recent and populated term, which I will never take or use seriously. We all have someone we aspire to, wish we looked like, but there are girls out there hating their own reflection. There are girls out there spending thousands on cosmetics; nose jobs, lip jobs, boob jobs, surgery for a more prominent jaw line and a less pointed chin (the list goes on). So why do girls insist on wishing they weren't themselves? This is where society and the media comes in, something which we have all been greatly influenced by. Society creates a social norm, which for especially young teenage girls still trying to find who they are, can be extremely influential and persuasive. Allowing teens to see an unideal and unrealistic view of beauty and something they should aspire to and be like one day. But it's not something they can aspire to or be like, no matter how much surgery they spend their money on. Something totally unrealistic. I've came across so many before and after versions of photos uploaded onto the media and how photoshopped, blurred or perfected they are. Something which in real life they aren't. You aren't able to blur your face or make your eyes larger or more whiter around the outside of the pupil with a click of your fingers, so teaching consumers that this is the normal and perfect way of looking, is totally completely and utterly impractical. Some celebrities we all aspire to aren't even who they used to be, they are who they are now thanks to the millions they've spent on perfecting themselves or "faking themselves". Don't get me wrong, if you are totally insecure about a certain aspect of yourself, such as hating how thin your lips are, then getting them slightly plumper shouldn't mean you're called out to be a fake or totally different to how you were before, but reshaping your whole face and naturally changing your body to seem curvy or skinny in the middle and bigger at the butt (popular right now), almost makes the older totally beautiful version of yourself unrecognisable and we all could name a few people who have went WAY too overboard with their surgery, so much so that it looks absolutely unflattering to look at. To be able to see yourself without makeup or look at yourself and be content with who you are as a person is empowering and strong. Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zKfF40jeCA (A Dove Campaign) "I've Been Criticised for Not Being Perfect and I'm Proud of It."There are many women we should correctly aspire to, women who can hold there hands up high in such a society and simply says "Yeah I look crap on this, but that's normal." because not everyone looks perfect constantly, even the most beautiful of models. Kristen Stewart for example commented that, "I have been criticised for not looking perfect in every photograph. I'm proud of it." being able to say maybe I don't look my best here, but I'm happy with who I am, is the best you can do for yourself. Sometimes going to lengths of becoming perfect, ultimately doesn't make you any happier. If can be content with who you are as a person and your imperfections which every living soul has, nothing can stop you or bring you down. An unstoppable, motivated and self-empowered woman is something us girls should all aspire to be. Always. It's lovely to see that the new trend seems to be becoming wearing less makeup or none at all, even Kim Kardashian, the beauty and fashionista herself has confessed she's on a journey to "try and wear less make-up". Something your skin may thank you for in the long run too! Last years trend was eyebrows on fleek, this years trend is becoming eyebrows all natural. Although I'm not quite comfortable with the shape of my natural brows quite yet. It's important to remember that makeup doesn't define our beauty and our natural beauty is absolutely perfect the way it is, but it's also important to never see makeup as a negative. I see makeup as an art and a passion. Kat Von D describes her brand as, "Bold, unapologetic, outspoke and different in our own way." further emphasising the need and trend for individuality. For me I love this idea because it's to do with makeup, creating art and a style that is yours through cosmetics, whilst seemingly also understanding that makeup shouldn't be applied to make yourself perfect. Natural is beautiful always. "Society Doesn't Define Your Beauty."If you haven't read Vogue latest issue, you need to. I love the magazines not only for their fashion, but for their topical debates. The article always leaves me motivated, fuelling more ideas into my head. I guess that's why I have a blog though, to realise all the thoughts in my head. I love this topic of beauty and feel especially within modern day times, it causes controversy. For me, I like to remind myself that although makeup is a passion for me, it doesn;t define who I am or how I look. All girls should be able to walk out the house with a full face on and feel comfortable within their own skin. It's the unrealistic social norms of modern media which make it so difficult for us to determine beauty and makeup itself. Although my debate when off on a bit of a tangent (nothing unusual there) the article from Vogue's October issue really drove me to create a post on such issues which many may not even know is effecting them. For me, looking back, I was naive to slap makeup on daily, even around the house. No girl should ever feel that their natural face, their natural skin or their natural body isn't enough. In the real world, there's no such thing as perfect. If certain celebrities didn't have these editing apps, perhaps perceptions of beauty wouldn't be so distorted, especially for young teenage girls still trying to figure out who they are, let alone getting the feeling that they aren't enough. An important quote to be noted: "Beauty is the opposite of perfection - it's about confidence, charisma and character." Something we should always remind ourselves. "Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself." - Coco Chanel That's about it from me today, but there is something else I wanted to say... a great big thank you. Why, might you ask? Because about two weeks ago I hit 2,000 unique visitors and I'm also on my way to 5,000 page views. I've said it from the start and I'll say it again, I didn't think I'd get 200 people coming back to my blog, let alone being in the thousands! Hopefully I can continue bringing these blog posts up to the same standards or even better as time goes on. Thank you so much for reading. Until next time x
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