So, this is a thing that happened:
I wanna start off by saying I was actually debating on whether or not to post this, because the second after I posted it on Tumblr, I got this:
But this is my blog, so fuck you. I am not stupid, and I am going to continue to show this to more people. Insert Evil Cackle Here.
As a makeup and beauty blogger, I am constantly inundated with advertisements telling me that I NEED this new product or this lipstick is a MUST HAVE or whatever. And I hate that shit. I hate it when advertisers shove stuff down my throat and tell me that I need all this extra crap to be a decent human being. I love makeup and I love fashion because it's fun, because it lets me create the woman I want to be, because it lets me state exactly who I am without having to say a word. It's a creative outlet just like any other.
And I don't, on a day-to-day basis, think "Oh I have to put on eyeliner so my boyfriend thinks I'm cute today", and I don't think most women do. But this isn't really about me or my personal practices. This is about the bigger picture. Women have been enhancing their features using makeup for centuries, and yes, historically this is a mating practice. We are victims of centuries of this type of thinking. Hence my urging that these thoughts must be destroyed.
I stand by my belief that women should reappropriate makeup as war paint. I believe that makeup is an art and is a key to creative expression. I stand by my belief that women should not feel the need to do anything to themselves to please or to catch a man (or a woman, or a nonbinary, whatever you want). I believe that the thought that a woman should do such things for a man's benefit is detrimental to both sexes because it does not allow anyone to be themselves completely, and is always keeping a woman in a submissive position, if she is always thinking about pleasing someone else. If we hold our women back, we are all held back.
And the truth is, it's different for everyone. I'm not telling anyone that they shouldn't make an effort for someone they care about. I think the issue is not wanting to look good. The issue is the belief that it is a woman's job to look pretty or else they are worthless to a man.
I will reiterate: I do not wear makeup for you. I do not wear clothes for you. I do not smile for you. I am not here to placate you, to make you happy, to be the thing you want me to be. I didn't ask your opinion and I never will. I will be beautiful and terrifying. I am living without apology.
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