“Anyone can wear makeup if they want. Nobody should dictate what you can or can’t do with your body or appearance,” said sophomore Nick Kromelow. Kromelow’s indifferent attitude toward makeup is one perspective out of many, but his emphasis on it being a personal choice is common among other Aragon students. An abundance of people use makeup, but how and why each person does so can vary, and each person makes sense of this makeup phenomenon individually.
Makeup can provide a variety of benefits to those who wear it. Sophomore Rebecca Ruttenberg said, “Makeup’s kind of fun, and it can make you look really good if you use it the right way.” Many other makeup-wearing girls agreed with the sentiment that it simply enhances one’s appearance. Sophomore Karess Batkowski explained that many different effects can be achieved with different usage of makeup. “They can wing their eyeliner to give their eye shape a completely different look and can also make their lips appear smaller or bigger by using lip liner and lipstick,” she says.
Batkowski also said, “I see makeup as a way to express oneself.” Makeup can often be seen as an art form, but is everyday makeup really a demonstration of individuality? Sophomore Katie Goldin disagreed, saying, “It makes girls feel like they fit in more because it makes them feel like they are just like everyone else.” Wearing makeup, like many other things, is surely done widely in high schools to achieve this aim of ‘fitting in,’ but it can also grow to become more than that.
Ruttenberg said, “It’s like a self confidence thing, and that’s probably why most girls wear it: so they feel pretty. And when they feel pretty, they feel confident.” Furthermore, some girls then seem to form a sort of dependence on makeup. Ruttenberg said, “A lot of people won’t even leave the house without it.” This reliance on makeup can be worrisome. She explained that this is because “they think they’re ugly, which they aren’t.” Senior Kelly Walsh said, “Makeup is okay until you can’t feel pretty without it.”
Some students feel that makeup can be used poorly and should be used carefully. Freshman Vicky Hoznek said, “If you wear too much [makeup], it looks kind of clowny.” Hoznek personally does not wear makeup, but she said that a limited amount is fine and generally does not bother her. However, she adds that “it’s not appropriate to wear crazy makeup to school because you need to focus on your education.”
Media influences are also prominent in today’s ideas of beauty and opinions of makeup. Recently, the idea of “natural beauty” has been pervasive throughout advertising, TV, and even popular songs. For example, “Sweat pants, hair tied, chillin’ with no makeup on. That’s when you’re the prettiest. I hope that you don’t take it wrong” are lines from Drake’s popular song “Best I Ever Had.” Batkowski said, “I agree that everyone has natural beauty. I also believe that makeup should be used to enhance that beauty, not cover it with something fake.”
These new ideas seem beneficial, but there may be unintended consequences. Sophomore Joey Sandmeyer said, “‘Natural Beauty’ sounds like it would help with self-esteem. As long as the fad doesn’t negatively affect those who feel like they rely on makeup.” But Ruttenberg disagreed, saying, “I don’t think girls really care unless a guy says, ‘You don’t look good with all that makeup on,’ like a guy they personally know, not like a singer.” And in her opinion, “If anything, it should make them want to not wear it as much.”
Despite minor differences in opinion, students generally feel like makeup is a personal choice that people make for themselves. Kromelow said, “Natural or artificial, it is up to the individual’s preference, not mine.” People are understanding of other’s choices and think that it’s not their place to tell people what to do. Ruttenberg said, “It’s their face. They can do with it what they want.”
