‘Maybe it’s Maybelline’, Maybe it’s Just Society.
Teddi Cliett
April 20, 2012
Filed under Student Life, Top Stories
For some, it is an obsession; a safety blanket so to speak. For others, it remains a foreign concept; something that only exists on magazine covers and television shows. For the remaining though, whom side neither with a bare face or a masked identity, it becomes a subconscious routine.
Young girls have been growing up in the presence of makeup masked adults for centuries. Majority of girls experience the beginning of makeup in middle school, some as early as sixth grade. By high school, the influences left by mother, aunt, and older sister figures have affected the upcoming generation of teenage girls in unbelievable, and in some cases, heartbreaking ways.
Taking a glance around Memorial’s hallways, one can notice the cosmetic diversity that lives within the student body. After spending many months with the same female students however, one starts to notice much more.
The spectrum varies. On one end, society labels a naked faced girl as the “Plain Jayne”, a misnomer that suggests she really doesn’t have much to offer. “I know I don’t look all that special during the day, but makeup gets so cakey on my face. It’s more comfortable to just go without it,” said Avery Morris. “Besides, school isn’t worth messing up my pores.”
Some girls stand behind their reasoning of wanting to keep a healthy complexion, where others simply just don’t see the need for it. “I wore a lot more when I was younger than I do now,” said Kristen Jefferey. “There’s nobody to impress here.”
Maybe it’s the growth of confidence as girls’ age, or the lack of obsession to be a replication of everyone else, but something in those “Plain Jaynes” holds girls back from the foundation isle at the pharmacy.
However, the opposing face, the “Barbie”, exists as well. “I started wearing makeup just because everyone else was, but then eventually, I actually wanted to cover up,” said Amanda Coursey.
The upcoming female generation is constantly surrounded by gorgeous faces through the media, tabloids, and fellow peers. Repeatedly witnessing perfect bone structure, skin complexion, eye color, lip shape and more has major results.
When asked if they would show up to school bare faced, Alexa Arnett and Morgan Caldarera denied the invitation without hesitation. “Absolutely not,” said Arnett. “I would scare people,” Caldarera added.
Females have perfected the habit of avoiding bathrooms and hallway reflections, applying yet another layer of their “face” during class, some even to the point of legitimately fearing a day at school, or anywhere social, without the personal standard of makeup applied.
Either it’s the lack of a need to impress each other, or the fear of even the thought of a classmate noticing a flaw, but every day there is something inside that drives females either to or away from the morning vanity.
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