Choosing not to wear makeup

In a world of Instagram trends based around ‘going natural’ and presenting yourself as ‘bare-faced’, it may seem far-fetched that people could be judgemental about not wearing makeup. In recent years, there has definitely been a growing number of celebrities and fashion icons opting for no-makeup looks, but there’s still a lot of judgement that surrounds makeup.

Whether you wear makeup or not, people seem to criticise. If you wear too much, it’s ridiculed on Twitter for looking over the top. If you don’t wear any, you’re seen to stray from social norms.

Throughout secondary school, I felt like the odd one out as someone who never wore makeup. People often made comments and were judgemental, not understanding why I wouldn’t wear makeup. This made me self-conscious and, for a long time, I really did feel ugly.

I refuse to care about people noticing my spots and blemishes

When I would go to parties and social events without makeup, I felt like I hadn’t made as much effort as everyone else and as though people were judging.

It also made it difficult for me to relate to a lot of my year group at school when many conversations centred on makeup.

As someone who has always suffered from quite bad skin and frequent breakouts, not wearing makeup definitely made puberty difficult. I couldn’t hide my spots. On the days when I had a few, I felt extremely anxious.

Throughout the years, this definitely impacted on my confidence. It was a much bigger issue in school. My skin is definitely a lot better, but I also refuse to care about people noticing my spots and blemishes.

There has been a genuine move towards more natural beauty in society

As soon as I got to university, things definitely changed. I noticed that fewer people wore makeup on a daily basis, and the styles that people sported on campus tended to be more unique, individual and out there. I’ve not experienced any judgement. People are free to wear and not wear whatever they choose.

I finally felt like I could relax and enjoy not having to spend hours doing makeup every day. At least in my experience, university has been a place where I can be experimental with my look. Last year, I dyed my hair purple and no one judged my choice. I never would have had the courage to do that at home and if I had, I definitely would have been the talk of the school for doing so.

I don’t think it’s fair to say that this all boils down to my hometown or school experience being stifling. I think there has been a genuine move towards more natural beauty in society more widely. A lot of this change has been pushed forward by celebrities choosing to sport more natural looks at award shows and on Instagram.

I’m completely aware that it’s my choice not to wear makeup. I can’t complain about feeling judged or anxious about the way I looked when it was my decision to not wear makeup.

Since coming to university, I’ve felt more confident with my choices

It’s just never really appealed to me. I always enjoyed doing my hair and would spend an hour or so styling it before school each day but the thought of spending longer doing extravagant makeup looks just didn’t appeal to me. My mum has also never worn it so I didn’t grow up copying someone or wanting to have a go at it myself.

My mum also has the best skin in the world, so I’ve always thought that not wearing makeup whilst I’m young might (hopefully) be a way of ensuring that my skin is that good later on.

It’s also so expensive. I’m aware that I spend copious amounts on nice shampoos, hair masks and fancy skincare so I am in no position to talk. I’ve just never wanted to spend money on makeup.

You might think from reading this that I hate makeup. That’s completely not true. I love watching people do makeup, I admire people’s amazing makeup looks and think that I could never do that. I just choose not to wear it myself and I’m thankful that since coming to university, I’ve felt more confident with my choices.