Hello! I just received a very special gift from my parents today. I got a huge, gorgeous box filled with chocolates, and it's from GODIVA! Yay! Oh, in case you're wondering, I am a hopeless chocolate addict. I live and die for chocolates. lol I was awarded with those chocolates because... I got a perfect score in TOEIC test (YES!)! If you do not know TOEIC, it's a test that measures your English abilities. There are two types of TOEIC test: listening and reading test, and writing and speaking test. But the former is more common, and what I took this time was that one too.
I have been studying or have been around English, I should say, since when I was five years old. I've always loved studying English, and have always wanted to be better at it. I did study English, but I always made sure that I find ways that I can improve my English skills without having to feel like I was "studying." I studied English in terms of memorizing lists of English words and phrases, preparing for English exams, doing English homework from school, and so on. On the other hand, I've always loved watching YouTube videos by English speakers, reading magazines and books written in English, listening to English songs, and so on to keep myself entertained. Not only those activities helped me have fun, they also helped me a lot in terms of letting me engage in "real" English. English in textbooks and CDs that come with them, and that in real life are different, you know? In real life English, people will speak faster, more casually, and with different accents, depending on whom you're talking with. So, if you're studying a foreign language, this is a small tip I'd give to you! :) Of course, it won't be a short journey (Remember, it took me 19 years to take a perfect score in TOEIC test!), and it's actually a never-ending journey because it's a language; you'll never every really "master" a language. You don't know everything about your mother tongue. In that sense, taking a perfect score in one English test is an achievement, but that doesn't mean I don't have to make an effort to better my English anymore, or I have come to the stage where I can no more better my English. To be honest, I think I still have so many things to do to be better at English, and there still are times when I want to spank myself for being terrible at English (lol). But if you can have fun studying that language, you're less likely to give up, and someday, you'll see how far you've come, and be proud of yourself. Have faith in yourself!
Oops, sorry. I was so excited that I just created a huge section where I talk about how you can study a foreign language. Wow. I hate it when people try to give me advice when I actually didn't even ask for one, but I think I just did give an unasked advice this time. Wow, Yuki, you're annoying. lol
Alright, so today, I want to write about makeup shaming. Let's go.
I've always loved playing around with makeup. I don't call myself a beauty guru, and have an entire room dedicated to things related to beauty like beauty vloggers. But I have a lot of cosmetics and beauty products (more than I need!), and I really love trying out different looks each day. Although there are many, many people who share the same interest that I have, there are many, many people who hate seeing people having fun with their makeup as well. Well, people have different interests, and sometimes, you can't necessarily understand every interest. Some people love makeup. Some people aren't really into makeup. That's totally fine. That's not a problem at all. But... makeup shaming is a real problem.
It's a shame that some people don't see the artistic aspect of makeup. Makeup is not just a daily routine to look prettier. I think that's the key, you know? There are many different kinds of makeup. Those crazy, yet amazing looks that you see in movies (aka special effect makeup) are also called makeup. And that is art too. Art doesn't have to be just paintings and music. In special effect makeup, the core aim is not to make actors/actresses look cuter and prettier. They can be perceived cute or pretty as a result by the audience, but looking "good" is not their goal. Their goal is to transform. And that's where creativity comes in. There's no limit when you're talking about creativity. There's no "Wow, that's too much!" in art. Art and practicality don't always get along, and they don't have to in the first place. And those art and creativity can be applied to your daily makeup as well, by the way. You don't have to be an artist to be artistic, and art doesn't have to be an special occasion.
Makeup also helps you get in the mood, or zone. When in doubt, wear red. This really works. When I wear a bold, bright red lipstick, I transform from just Yuki to a fearless, fierce woman. I feel sexy. I feel more confident. I feel like I am ready to run the world. lol It's like tying your tie to head out to work. It does have an aspect of daily routine, but psychologically, what it does to you is more than a mere daily routine. There are meanings in that process itself.
Ok, so now, I want to talk about something that really struck me personally. Some people think that people wear makeup impress others. I will never ever forget that moment when I a guy I knew said, "You won't be popular (among boys) with that amount of makeup (= much!)." Holy crap! It was like... six or seven years ago, but the feelings never get old. It wasn't just about makeup shaming. Well, he assumed that there's such thing as too much makeup in the first place, which is total nonsense. But he also assumed that I was wearing makeup to impress boys, which made me feel so offended. And he came up to me like I was a desperate, insecure girl that sought attention from boys. That was so humiliating. He made fun of, and looked down on makeup, and moreover, he make fun of, and looked down on me. Wow, that was so kind of him.
It's simply surprising that some people think we wear makeup to impress others, when the truth is that what they think is so wrong. I am not trying to impress anyone with my makeup except myself. I am wearing makeup to satisfy myself, not you, or anyone else. If you liked my makeup, and made positive comments on my it, that's pretty awesome, and I'll be so happy. But I'm all about making myself happy with makeup first. We makeup lovers just love trying out different colors, different shades, different looks, and we simple love the process. If I ever wanted to impress boys (and any other people in general), I would never wear blue lipsticks or black lipsticks. And I would just stick to brown eyeshadows, and play safe. You see, makeup is not just about covering up your flaws. If you think makeup is just about correcting and covering up, you know so little about makeup! Makeup does actually help making my nasty acne (lol) look less profound, but the real fun part is awaiting in the next stage, where you get to explore with all those colors and combinations, and that's the most delicious part of makeup. Don't just say the cream puff you're eating tastes bad when you haven't even reached the custard.
And, to all the people who claim that we makeup lover wear that much makeup because we hate ourselves, and we are so insecure about how we look without makeup; because we're slaves to makeup. Umm, actually, we're kind of slaves to makeup in a way that we love makeup so much. But let's be very clear and real. First, we're fine with being around without makeup; our love towards makeup doesn't come from insecurities. Yes, I go out without any traces of makeup. I've been to school totally bare faced, and spent the entire day. And I have done that multiple times. I do take pictures without makeup, and I don't mind at all posting them online, and let people around the world see how I look when I'm not wearing makeup. Secondly, hey, who doesn't want to look good? For real. Who doesn't? Everybody wants to look good. How can you blame that? No matte how you look, you'll always want to look good. And that's different from hating your appearance, and being insecure. Confident people want to look good too, and people try to achieve that in various ways. Makeup is one of those tools.
So makeup shamers, just back off. "You should be more natural"??? What is natural anyways? Human life itself is quite unnatural in the first place, isn't it? lol You don't need a "valid" reason to love something. You just love it because you love it. But when you go hate on something, you always need a valid reason. And I don't think makeup shamers have one to convince us makeup lovers to stop loving makeup. So bye.
...Ok, now I can finish this post. I don't really like to write little by little to complete a post, but this time, I had to. I've been working a lot, and have to sacrifice my time to do things I love, such as writing and reading. But I hate to live just for my work, so I am making sure I am taking time for reading and writing, even if it's a short amount of time, everyday. I hope you managed to find this article interesting! Thanks for reading!
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