opinions
Showing posts with label opinions. Show all posts

Criticising Something You Love

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Monday, 16 January 2017

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There is at least one thing that all of us completely love, whether it’s a book, a film, a TV show etc. There’s always some sort of creativity to consume, and one that we end up feeling passionate about. When you’re not very attached to something and can view it objectively, you may criticize it and spot its weaknesses, but when you have a strong attachment to or love for something, I feel that that is heightened.

For me, this is most prevalent with the Harry Potter franchise.



I grew up with Harry Potter; my parents would read me the books before I went to bed from when I was very small, they bought me the audiobooks for birthdays and Christmases as they were being released, I still have loads of merchandise that has been collected over the years. I know it sounds ridiculous to some, but I genuinely believe that Harry Potter has made me who I am today, well, for the most part. I am an avid reader, anyone who knows me knows that. I also have a huge love for writing – it’s craft and the shape of words and stories. Those are some of the parts of my character that I believe are one of the most important and that have been aided and allowed to grow by the involvement of Harry Potter in my life.

So, it’s safe to say that I was overly excited about the release of the Cursed Child. I say overly, because I really do not think it was worth the hype. At least, not based on the script anyway. I’m sure it would be much better on stage as some of the effects described in the script seem to be mind-blowing and I have no idea how they do that without special effects! Don't get me wrong, I still desperately want to see it on stage. However, I thought the plot was very weak and some of the characters I love were portrayed in a bad way and characterized badly. To me, it felt like a badly written fanfiction, although I know some people disagree.

I was talking to a friend in one of my classes the other week, and she was saying how you should be looking for good things in something you love, rather than its faults – but I can’t help but disagree. If you love something and something else is released,

To me, finding flaws in things you love is so important, but as a creative person, it is crucial. Many of my friends are creative; we’re writers, actors, poets, film makers, artists, photographers and work with textiles. As long as we want to better ourselves in our craft, we have to continue to see flaws in every piece of art we see, and to learn from those other creators’ mistakes and use them for our own creative growth.

But it’s also good to recognise that no piece of art is perfect – never will be, in my opinion. Finding faults in favourites is something that, I think, demonstrates affection. When it’s in a critiquing sort of way, at least. We’ve all come out of the cinema, having seen a disaster of a film and discussed its many faults with little enthusiasm or ever wanting to see it again. And I think we’ve all walked out of the cinema enthusiastically discussing a film we loved – its many qualities, but also of the things you didn’t like, or thought could have been improved. Interest in the recognition of a favourite piece of art’s faults is healthy. So don’t put anyone down for, while loving something, pointing out its imperfections but allow them to love it in spite of them.




If you liked this post you might like: Why We Need to Talk About Our Periods!

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Tampon Tax.

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Wednesday, 26 October 2016

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You may be aware of this already but I’ll reiterate for those of you at the back: half of the population bleed out of their vaginas every month. It’s all part of our menstrual cycle; the bleeding part is called menstruation – more commonly known as a period or, if you want to give it a pet name, Aunt Flo, Penny, Blob, whatever you want to call it. I know two of my friends use Barack Obama as a code name for theirs. The point is, that no matter its name, every person with a uterus will bleed monthly – the frequency of menstruation does depend on the length of your personal cycle, though, so don’t panic if it’s not entirely regular.

Credit

In order to stop our blood from getting everywhere, we must use some form of ‘feminine hygiene’ product to catch it. Now that could be a tampon, sanitary towel (pad) or menstrual cup. I personally prefer wearing pads but wear tampons as well, especially if a pad will not do the job properly! (So on occasions were I’m swimming or sunbathing etc.) I’ve never used a menstrual cup before, but, in all honesty, they kind of scare me a bit. Maybe intimidate is a better word to use. Plus, anyone who knows me is aware of how clumsy I am so we can all imagine what a disaster it would be.

Feminine hygiene products are necessary items to everyone who has a period. Free-bleeding isn’t a good thing. Yes, it can make everything a bit messy, but can also lead to the spread of disease and is generally very unhygienic. Plus it’s a pain having to get blood out of clothes whenever you leak.

Despite being necessary, feminine hygiene products are still classed as ‘luxury’ items by the government, which means that we have to pay tax on items that are essential to our lives. Bearing in mind here, that things that are considered ‘essential’ are kangaroo and crocodile meats, edible sugar flowers, men’s razors and alcoholic jellies. Those are what is considered to be ‘essential’ to everyday life. So let me ask you: when was the last time you ate crocodile meat? It’s not necessary for men to shave, but it’s necessary for people with periods to catch their blood a sanitary product. If anything, they should be free – however, I’m aware that that isn’t very practical.

Why is it fair that we have to pay extra for something that is essential to us?

There was a petition that reached over 320,000 signatures last year I think it was (or maybe the beginning of this year as well) but nothing has changed yet. To sign a change.org petition that applies to your area click here, and to sign the newer (active) UK government petition click here!


If you liked this post you might like: Why We Need to Talk About Our Periods

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Why Am I a Feminist? | A Fabulous Feminist

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Monday, 15 August 2016

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My blog’s name is A fabulous feminist. Why? Because I’m a feminist, and maybe a little fabulous? Whatever the case, the alliteration was too good to pass up. 

When Jemima asked me to guest write on her blog, I was really excited and pondered what I should write about. I thought about my blog, and what was at the very core of it, and this post was born. 
Why am I feminist? For many reasons, a few of which I’ll illustrate here, that you may be familiar with, or may deepen your understanding of what feminism is. 


First of all, I am a feminist because I believe that all people, regardless of their gender, deserve equal rights and opportunities. That is what feminism is about— equality! It really is as simple as that. Unfortunately, though, the word alone causes people to refute it, declaring it to be misandry, associating the word with ‘man-hating’, something which, funnily enough, is not equality, and thusly not feminism. 

Secondly, I am a feminist because, as related to the above reason, I see the contempt toward the word ‘feminism' as it is directly linked to women, and not men, and the reaction to this by many is anger. People argue that if feminism is about equality, why is it called feminism? This distaste furthers the knowledge that we live in a patriarchal society, that a word that is linked to women is rebuked because of that very reason. This view is even more ridiculous when you remember that we are all a part of ‘mankind’. Mankind.
Feminism is about equality, and if you can’t handle the word, don’t focus on it. Think about the ideology behind it.

Thirdly, I am a feminist because I understand that there is inequality amongst the genders, in all countries of the world, and I believe that is unacceptable. Not only do I believe it, I know it is. I see that there is a wage gap. That men are often valued above women in the job industry. That men are told they can’t be sensitive. That men and women are stereotyped beyond excusability. And I will not stand for it. 

To be a feminist, you simply are a person who believes that all people should be treated equally. There is no disclaimer that says you must identify yourself as a feminist, and complete some kind of initiation ritual! If you believe that all genders deserve to be treated equally then you are a feminist. 

So, why am I a feminist? Because I believe that all genders should be treated equally. In short, I’m a human being. 

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Please go over and have a look at Anna's blog, A Fabulous Feminist. I love her posts and think that you guys will too!

Jemima x



If you liked this post you might like: To Shave Or Not To Shave

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Why We Need To Talk About Our Periods!

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Wednesday, 9 March 2016

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There are some things that I’ve found that I talk about a lot more in real life than online. Obviously, there’s the day-to-day chitchat that makes the day flow, but I’ve realised that there are some topics that I haven’t yet touched on my blog but am actually really passionate about making sure they’re discussed in real life.

It was Hannah Witton’s video that I watched last Friday, that made me actually realise that. Hannah talked about periods and how they’ve become very tabooed in our society and I thought I would continue that discussion.


I’ve always been someone who’s been quite open about their period. When I was younger and first got my period I would talk about it with my friends. The 12 and 11 year olds who had been getting their period one by one. It was something new that we could talk about - those of us who had started would talk about it to those who hadn’t. It was a whole new part of growing up for us. 

There are so many things you can talk about with periods and they would usually come up in conversation quite often, particularly at events such as sleepovers. It’s something that felt natural for us to talk about.

And I think it’s quite important that we do talk about them - for several reasons.

A)  Periods are a natural bodily function that many people have become awkward about. Why?! 

 One of the things Hannah said in her video was that “we are comfortable with seeing blood and gore in films and on TV but find period blood gross.” (Okay sorry about the paraphrasing but that’s basically it.)

  I can bet you that the average person who has periods will see period blood way more often than they will blood from, I don’t know, Deadpool taking out a whole gang at once ( both in real life and on screen). Why is one deemed gross while the other has been normalised - it’s all still blood at the end of the day!


B)  Sometimes periods can be harmful and actually really dangerous for the person who is bleeding. 

 If we talk about our periods then it can become easier to spot when something isn’t right - you can mistake a pain in the abdomen for period pain when it’s not, bleeding could be caused from something other than your period etc. 

 Make sure that you know what is normal for your period and stay safe, particularly if you get super heavy periods.

C)  It’s just really nice to vent about cramps and pains and all the horrible stuff that comes along with having a period. 

 Seriously, I don’t want to keep it bottled up and feel awkward about mentioning how much pain I am in unless someone thinks I’m actually ill. I don’t want to be embarrassed when I’m feeling like I’m dying from cramps that paracetamol won’t help with. Let me complain when I need to, it oddly makes me feel a bit better.

D)  Everyone should be made aware of periods. 

 They’re a massive part of half of the population's lives.

To watch Hannah's video click here. 


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There were many potential titles for this post - practically all of which involved period puns. Exhibit A: Stop Avoiding The Bloody Conversation! (Why We Should Be Speaking Up About Our Periods.) Period puns make me laugh and I'm sure they make you laugh too - please share your best period puns in the comments and spread the lols! 

Jemima x





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How to Be Attractive | What Do You Find Attractive?

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Monday, 23 November 2015

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All over the Internet there are articles, videos and How-Tos, all instructing us how to look and how to be more “attractive”. We are told from magazine articles how to get the perfect face and body, by artificially tweaking them. YouTube only adds to this mess with videos entitled ‘What Guys Look For In Girls’ or ‘How To Get Your Crush To Like You’.

These are instruction manuals young girls/boys go to when they feel self-conscious or inadequate, when they have everything already built, it’s maybe just not polished yet. 

No one is perfect, particularly when you are a teenager or of an age between 11 and 13. It is at this age that we are experimenting with different aspects of our personalities and bringing them to light. We are growing into ourselves - we have spots and freckles and we’re not comfortable in our skin for the most part. We are children expected to act and look like adults.

We given a set of guidelines that show us how to behave and present ourselves in order to be appealing to someone else. These guidelines could be the complete opposite of what your personality or natural looks are - but the rules are still the rules. No one cares.

But we care - the ones who suffer at the hands of society’s stupid guidelines. The people who cannot conform to rules. We don’t have perfect hair or teeth. Our complexions aren’t clear and even and our body is covered in constantly growing hair.

So, according to society, we will never find someone who is attracted to us. We will live out the rest of our lives in complete solitude. 

Oh, how wrong society is.

There will be someone out there who finds you attractive - no matter what you look like or what your interests are. Just because you’re not a tall blonde supermodel with great legs, doesn’t mean you won’t be found attractive or won’t be loved. Someone may not find that attractive. 

Everyone finds different things attractive. It’s a fact of life. And we shouldn’t let a set of guidelines make us feel inadequate - because we are far from inadequate. You are far from inadequate.

Attractiveness is completely subjective - so just because one person doesn’t find you attractive doesn’t mean that you aren’t. One person could hate strawberries, but for others it will be their favourite food.
Found on the Cosmopolitan Snapchat
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The Naked Truth about Nudity

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Wednesday, 11 November 2015

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I find that, at times, I can become very aware that I’m living. I’ll feel every breath and hear my pulse. I notice every slight noise my body makes and become focussed that I am just that: a body. We become so self and appearance obsessed that we forget that we are human beings, thinking with a human mind in an utterly human body.

In times gone by it would have been difficult to forget that fact, as we would have seen each others’  naked bodies on a regular basis, what with fabric not having been invented and all. Then, we didn’t flaunt our wealth with the expensive clothes we wear, or perfect our attractiveness through pieces of cloth that hang on our bodies.

Body image doesn’t even seem to be about the body anymore; it’s more about how well your clothes fit you.

The fact that we rarely see the naked form has made us, as a society, quite uncomfortable with nudity. So much so, that any piece of skin we see becomes sexualised in an instant (particularly if you’re a female). Pieces of skin that really should not be sexualised as they are just part of our anatomies.

We are constantly told to cover up (again, this applies more to women). Our bodies are forever being viewed sexually, even when we do not want them to be seen as such. We get squeamish and embarrassed when the naked form is brought into conversation. It’s completely ridiculous.

We seem incapable of looking upon bare breasts or female nipples without sexualising them. We cannot escape from that fact.

If you like this post then you might like Why Do Wear Make-Up?

On those rare, hot British summer days, plenty of the male population go about their daily business without a shirt on, displaying their bare torso to the world. No one gives a second glance. It’s ordinary - nothing unusual. However, if a woman were to do the same she would be stared at in disgust and probably arrested for public indecency. Seem fair?

This hypothetic woman isn’t even naked! Her boobs shouldn’t be banned from seeing the sun. They have their own, unique function, which is completely unrelated to anything sexual. The only thing that makes them different from the male breast is the extra breast tissue/fat and the fact that they do actually have a function.

We really need to get grips with nudity; we need to stop viewing the female body as entirely sexual.  We may, as individuals, be comfortable with naked bodies, but as a society we are not.


Maybe - just maybe - we will reach that. Hopefully the next generation, or the generation after that, won’t feel the societal pressure to hide themselves. Now wouldn’t that be great?
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Would you believe that today is Another Ranting Reader's 6 month birthday? How time flies! Thank you to everyone who has read my posts and given me encouragement - it really means the world! Here's to another 6 months.

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To Shave or Not To Shave

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Monday, 19 October 2015

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It has been the social norm that women, young and old, should shave their bodily off for a good few decades by now. We are used to seeing women with hairless legs, armpits and sometimes other parts of the anatomy (some of which are more intimate than others).


Such a pressure can make young girls who are new to the world of shaving and hair removal, quite uneasy and self-conscious.

A lot of my friends started shaving in Year 8. We were 12 or 13. Suddenly the conversations had as we changed into our PE kits, had evolved into that of the smoothness of our skin, the distress in not having shaved in 2 days and the effect shaving ha had on the aesthetics of our legs. 

Everyone seemed to have started shaving - or at least, started talking about it.

It was like some elusive club, the way they talked about it. A club that I felt obliged, yet reluctant, to join.

I felt like I had to shave my legs in order to gain the rank that those around me had already achieved. I had to do this to, well, maybe it was to gain their respect? Feel like I had earned their friendship? Maybe, I feared that I would lose that friendship which I held in such high regard, all because I hadn’t started to shave my legs yet.

Looking back at it now, nearly 3 years later, it all seems so silly. But then and there it seemed a pressing matter. My 13-year-old mind overthought everything so that any conversation could be taken and morphed into something that was the complete contrary of what the speaker had meant.

In later years I would realise that a strong friendship could never be abandoned due to something as small as shaving. And if a friendship does break down over something as petty as that? Your “friend” was never truly your friend.



I started removing my body hair properly in Year 9. I say ‘removing my body hair’ because I use a hair removal cream instead of actually shaving because of the sensitivity of my skin. When I first started using this cream I was, well, a little uneasy let’s say, because I was not “shaving” as I believed everyone else was. It was still different; I was still not part of the elusive club. But it did the job with less risk of accidentally cutting myself and getting bright red rashes in my armpits and on my legs.

Currently, as my 16-year-old self, I hardly ever “shave”. Particularly now that the cold claws of winter are beginning to creep up on us from behind. Last summer, I probably “shaved” my legs about 2 or 3 times. I do not see why, when the temperature outside has dropped to freezing, that I have to shave my legs; I would much rather use that layer of hair for its intended purpose: to insulate my body in an attempt at keeping it warm.

And the same applies to the summer months: I will mostly likely remove my hair due to the increase of heat. I don’t want to be sweating more because of one layer of insulation I could easily have removed.

Perhaps, what I’m really trying to say here, is that I couldn’t care less if someone - male or female -shaves or not. I am perfectly content when I have “shaved” and when I have not. I make a choice whether or not I am going to “shave”, and I don’t want anyone, not matter how important they are, telling me I have to.

Shaving you body hair is, and should be, entirely your own, independent decision.

I know people who are disgusted by body hair, so shave it off. I know people who don’t give a damn about body hair so don’t shave. Both opinions are valid and acceptable. It’s their body to do with how the please.

Shaving shouldn’t have to feel like an act as compulsory as brushing your teeth everyday. And we should try to remember that women were not born hairless creatures.



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Don't Confine Me

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Wednesday, 9 September 2015

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In our society we are told that we have to be a certain type of person, and that person only. You can see this really clearly in the blogging/Internet world. As soon as we begin to post we are branded: beauty, travel, lifestyle… Whatever niche we choose to fit. Fitting into a specific niche can be quite difficult, especially if you want to write about all sorts of topics.

Take me for example; I’m a writer who adores books, Disney and cake. I love writing about my experiences with such things along many other topics that can include feminism, positivity and living your life in a way that will make you happy. I will write about most anything, as long as I’m passionate about it and I believe in it. If I find something interesting or inspiring then I will want to write about it.

I don’t like being confined to writing about only one thing, just as I don’t like being confined to a single type of person. I may be a writer, but I am also a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I am a reader, a runner, and a tea enthusiast! As humans, we are so much more than just one thing.

It is dehumanizing for us to be labeled as a singular thing, because that’s simply what we are not.

Think of it like that Shrek quote: “Ogres are like onions: they have layers.” (Best said with full accent to a friendly and over excited donkey.) It works the same way with humans. We all have different depths and there are always things you can learn about a person, even if you think you know them inside out.

And if you only know a person when they are in one part of their life don’t restrict them to that one title: remember the other aspects of them.

Remember that humans are not 2D.




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Everyday Clothing Problems

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Wednesday, 10 June 2015

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Clothes, we all have them and we all have our own different ways of wearing them. Some prefer to wear very little while others like to cover themselves from head to toe. It’s something we have done for thousands and thousands of years and are very unlikely to stop doing any time soon.

We wear bad clothes and baggy clothes and tight clothes and trendy clothes. Wear cheap clothes and expensive clothes and colourful clothes and monochrome clothes. The clothes we wear come in all different shapes, sizes and types. We give each style of clothes some fancy name that will be on the front of all major fashion magazines as soon as they become the “in thing”. We pass judgement on people’s fashion choices as they walk past us on the street. We see pictures in magazines of celebrities whose outfits have been deemed to be “Not Hot” or “Disasters”, while their wearers have been told: “What were you thinking?”

And all this time we go on to agree with these magazines and mention to our friends about that random celebrity’s odd dress, or hat, or top, or any item of clothing that is thought to be untrendy.

But, what is it to us? Really? Does it even matter to you if Lady Gaga decides to go parading around in a meat dress, or that woman you saw on the street had a dress that was maybe a size too small for her? Why should you care if a person wants to show off their religion or culture through the way they dress, or if someone prefers to dress in a way that isn’t viewed as the social norm?

Does it affect the way you go about your life? No? Then leave them be. It’s not your business and it has nothing to do with you. It’s their choice what they put on each morning, not yours. Let’s be honest, it’s got nothing to do with you.

We should all be able to wear what we want, when we want, without feeling as though we’ll get judged, hated on, or even bullied for it. We should be able to wear what clothes we like and what suits our own individual tastes. We shouldn’t wear something that injures us (I’m looking at you killer heels), makes us feel uncomfortable or we just plain don’t like, because it’s the “trendy” thing to wear. If you honestly don’t like wearing something, don’t; it’s as simple as that. But hey! If you like wearing them go for it! It’s entirely your choice.

   You want to wear your pajamas to the shop? Go ahead.
   You want to wear a formal dress to go bowling? Sure thing.
   You put someone else down for what they choose and like to wear? Stop it, now.

Wear whatever you want to wherever you want; be you and don’t give a damn who is looking. You’re probably looking incredible anyway.



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How to be a writer

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Friday, 22 May 2015

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Way too often for my liking, I have seen the phrase ‘aspiring writer’ thrown about the Internet. People with bios that include the phrase frustrate me by the mere use of it. I have seen it too frequently and now end up crying out loud to the world:
 “What is wrong with people?”

First things first, the word ‘aspiring’ means that you want to be something, or that you have set something as your goal; you hope to be a specific type of person. I can bet you that the people who have ‘aspiring writer’, ‘aspiring artist’, ‘aspiring photographer', etc. in their social media bios or refer to themselves as such, already are what they ‘aspire’ to be. They probably write, paint - whatever they want to do – almost everyday.
These people need to realise this:

If you write, you’re a writer.
If you paint, you’re a painter.
If you take photographs, you’re a photographer.
If you run, you’re a runner.

Get where I’m going with this?
If you’re one of those people with ‘aspiring’ in their bios – or you refer to yourself as an ‘aspiring *insert occupation here*’ when people ask you what you do – then stop. If you already are what you said you aspire to be, then take away the ‘aspiring’ from your sentence. Instead place it in front of ‘published author’ or ‘professional runner’; that’s really what you aspire to be, if we’re quite honest here. Take the frustrating, two-word title in a bio, and turn it into a one-word title. I’m sure that the latter will represent you more than you think.
 And if you aren’t what you aspire to be… Be it. There’s nothing standing in your way.

Yours sincerely,
A writer.





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"You run like a girl!" Well, yeah...

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Wednesday, 20 May 2015

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How many times in your life have you heard someone say ‘like a man’ or ‘like a girl’? I bet you it’s more than you could count on your fingers, twice over. Try to think back again. What came to your mind as soon as that person said it?

Maybe it was little girl falling over as she attempted to run? Or perhaps she failed to catch some kind of sports ball? Or perhaps you thought of a dashing young man lifting some heavy object, which then caused his muscles to flex attractively?

Why didn’t you think of Jessica Ennis winning gold in the London Olympics or a local shopkeeper packing things onto his shop’s shelves? Why didn’t you think of the girl who was the ‘sports queen’ in your secondary school or the boy down the road who always carries his little sister on his back, everywhere he goes?

They do everything like a ‘man’ or a ‘girl’ because they just happened to be female or male.

When you think about it, they’re pretty stupid sayings. They simply further our stereotypes of ‘weak females’ and ‘strong men’. You say ‘fight like a girl’ but forget Boudicca, Elizabeth I and Black Widow. You just ‘fight like a man’ but forget the boys in wheelchairs, the men who don’t like sport and don’t have aggressive natures.

The phrase ‘like a girl’ has been constantly used to demote the female image while ‘like a man’ enforces the butch and strong male stereotype that we are all familiar with.

But really if the person who is being told to do something ‘like a man’ just happens to be female then it is physically impossible for them to do that; unless they got a sex change for the 5 minutes needed to tackle that task and then change back once it has been completed. No one is ever going to want a 5-minute sex change however, and therefore telling a woman to do something ‘like a man’ or vice versa is something that is completely impossible for them to do.

These phrases make no sense. They tell someone who identifies as a specific gender to do something 'like' the opposite one. “What can be done?” I hear you ask. Well, the solution is really quite simple: STOP USING THESE GOD DAMN PHRASES!
   
Stop saying ‘I run like a girl’ because either you will run like a girl whenever you run or will never run like a girl because you are male. Stop using these phrases and stop creating stereotypes in the younger generation’s minds. Stop using these phrases and ‘girls’ will no longer be viewed as ‘weak’ and ‘pathetic’, and ‘men’ will no longer be seen as ‘strong’, ‘dominant’ and ‘superior’. Instead people will be seen as the complex individuals we truly are, not one specific trait taken from a sexist stereotype.
  
People are people. They are vulnerable and strong and confident and caring and creative and boring and intelligent and witty. They are human.

Stop saying ‘like a girl’ and ‘like a man’; start saying ‘like you.’



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Why do you wear make-up?

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Monday, 11 May 2015

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I, like many other women, waste between 5-10 minutes most mornings applying overpriced goo onto my face. 10 minutes each morning spent making weird expressions as I carefully coat my eyelashes in some odd black substance that is supposed to make them seem ‘longer’ and ‘fuller’. 10 minutes each morning neatly drawing a black flick on my eyelid as if that’s going to change my whole face in some mysterious and jaw-dropping way. But would I ever ditch the make-up? Would I ever change what I do in those 10 minutes and attempt to do something that was actually useful in that time?

No. No, I wouldn’t.

No, because every minute of the time that I ‘waste’ putting gunk onto my probably suffering skin is to me, a minute not wasted at all, but a minute treasured.


One of the most common misconceptions about make-up is that women wear it for the sole purpose of impressing and pleasing their male counterparts. Although it may come as quite a shock to some people: make-up is usually worn for the benefit of the wearer. Truly scandalous, I know.

Every day women across the world spend those all-important 10 minutes drawing on their faces and then leaving their homes with a kind of confidence that is priceless to anyone who has experienced it; because they know that today, they’re looking pretty damn fine.

But, of course, make-up means something different to everyone. To some it is an escape; a refuge; a different personality. To others it could be an enemy; a friend; a lie.

As the 11-year-old who first discovered the wonders of eye shadow and eyeliner, make-up seemed to me as an art form (and really, I still think of it as such). It was as if I could create something magical on the spot and it wouldn’t be utterly dreadful. I have never been a great artist. Whatever my previous attempts may have been, they all end up resembling something that is vaguely similar to my cat’s regurgitated hairball. Being a beginner, my efforts were not much different than my drawings, but then (as with anything) as I practised more the results inevitably improved and I realised how insanely great the colourful powder made me feel. You can compare the feeling to the one you get when you finish reading Harry Potter or watching the BBC’s TV series adaption of Pride and Prejudice. And the glow of confidence and awkward pride you get after someone has complimented you on the brilliantness of your perfect eyeliner – I would say – exceeds that. It’s even better than Colin Firth coming out of the Pemberley Lake.

Surely, when something can make a person happier than Mr. Darcy can, it’s worth doing.

For me, makeup is a choice, a freedom, a hobby, an artist’s tool. It’s whatever you want it to be.

I suppose I’m just tired of hearing people say “She only wears make-up for boys,” or “Who do you want to impress?” Maybe I want to impress myself. Maybe I want to look good for me, to make myself feel happy and confident.  Screw those who think that looking good for someone or people, in general, is more important than a person’s happiness and self-esteem, because I would much rather be comfortable in my own skin than have someone complete stranger think my face was ‘okay looking’.

Undoubtedly there will the odd occasion when I make an extra effort with the pricey gunk because I know that I’m going to see a particular person that day – but that’s fine. It’s human nature. There won’t be a single make-up user who won’t think at least once in their lifetime ‘So-and-so is going to see me looking so hot today!’ because as much as people wear makeup for themselves, it can be used for other reasons. They should be selfish reasons as well. There should never be a time when someone puts make-up on against his or her will or just because someone else likes it. It should never be a selfless act.

No one should feel obliged to smear goo on their face. Even if it’s the highest quality goo can buy, that still doesn't mean that you have to wear it. Even if everyone around you is wearing that goo in that certain way, or not wearing ay goo at all, it doesn’t mean that you have to be the same. Make-up should always be worn for your own reasons, not anyone else’s.

Do what makes you feel happy, because after all: a smile is the best makeup that anyone can wear.



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