3 minute read

Bare and Bold

from MINT Magazine Spring 2018

from MINT Magazine Spring 2018, page 40

Reclaiming the Porcelain Doll

Busy students may not think much of foregoing makeup, allowing skin imperfections to be perfectly visible; but, celebrities are also joining in.

For example, Alicia Keys has taken deliberate action in announcing that she is abstaining from heavy makeup products. In May 2016, she wrote in Lena Dunham’s newsletter Lenny Letter, “I hope to God it's a revolution. 'Cause I don't want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing.”

And that’s what more people are turning to embrace in 2018: the perfection of imperfection, the beauty of letting flaws be visible. Especially when actresses and models suddenly resemble the ordinary teen girl, imperfect skin and all, the public takes notice.

The idea of being honest with what we show the world, expressing our true selves, certainly is appealing. And companies market on this— just look at Aerie and their commitment to not photoshopping models in their ad campaigns. While this may seem like a step in the right direction, it is important to remember it is still a clothing company doing what it must in order to sell a product. As an individual, there is a power beyond clever marketing ploys that capitalize off of growing hunger for authenticity. Wearing no makeup only shows off one thing: yourself.

In this way, the completely bare look, acne and all, differs from the established “no makeup” makeup look (i.e. makeup meant to look “natural”—just enough blush to look flushed, not enough as to make the appearance of makeup obvious). Wearing minimal makeup is still bowing to the advertisements and pressure to wear it. But allowing yourself to go without makeup is a rebellion in itself.

However, this rebellion is not without reaction, particularly in the spheres of high fashbusy ion and red carpet beauty. Even though director Greta Gerwig was lauded for having the lead actress Saoirse Ronan in her Oscar-nominated film Lady Bird have her acne visible, Ronan still met her fair share of online attacks. Similarly, Alicia Keys, with seemingly flawless skin, endured heavy scrutiny for her lack of makeup from social media users and even fellow The Voice coach Adam Levine.

This discrepancy in public response could be explained by the fact that Ronan is an actress playing an everyday teenager, while Keys is a celebrity representing herself, and therefore Keys is held to a higher standard. But, if celebrities are considered to be the pinnacle of beauty, why can’t their imperfections be beautiful too?

We might try to embrace the flaws a majority of people face, but how can we do this while society demoralizes the most visible figures, celebrities, when they openly embrace these flaws? Whether it’s a red carpet or a somewhat realistic film depicting teenaged life, in our reality, countless people battle with acne and other skin imperfections. Seeing past the myth that celebrities aren’t part of this is just the first step to leveling the standards for everyone else and opening up a more authentic and inclusive definition of beauty.