I've never worn makeup. It's something I really like about myself, but sometimes is confusing and surprising to others. Let me explain. Ages 0-13, I was too young. Ages 14-16, I had no interest. Ages 17-present, I developed actual reasons to go bare-faced.
You've heard Proverbs 31:30, Song of Solomon 4:7, and Isaiah 43:4. Each of these declares the immeasurable beauty and value in each of us. I've spent enough time (as a camp counselor & math tutor) with insecure 6th grade girls to know that many of us find these verses hard to believe. It's hard to believe because our culture has bombarded us with only one image of beauty. And literally not a single person on this planet is naturally fully qualified to fulfill the checklist of "American femininity."
I wholeheartedly believe that God sculpted me the way I am. He placed every pigment on my face, planted each hair on my brow, and painted every color on my irises. He is proud of this creation. He made no mistakes. This is not a remark on how special I am, but instead a remark on how powerfully detailed our God is. It is my job to respect this temple He's given me. It's my job to keep my lips unchapped and my hair clean. It is not my job to cover up what He's created. To be in awe of His work is to worship Him.
Who am I to tell God that instead of looking like His creation, I'd rather look like the photoshopped pictures in magazines?
Because I fear God, I'm called to be counter-cultural. "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2. I will not copy what is "supposed" to be more attractive. Instead, I strive to value the way God created me to look. Covering up my face would be disguising what the Lord created as beauty. God's will for me is to look the way I look. I will be content and I will be confident.
Since I so fervently oppose makeup, I banned it amongst my campers. (It's only a six-day camp, so they can survive my one strict rule.) To the ones who opposed, I recited over and over: "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." 1 Peter 3:3-4. For each girl who threw a tantrum, there were three others who were relieved by the rule. My girls didn't have to compare themselves, didn't try to impress the boys with their eyeliner, and by the end of the week they didn't worry about not wearing makeup. For at least six days, they were forced to see themselves in the mirror- what they were born to look like- and by day six, they were usually pretty happy with it.
The moment a woman puts on makeup, plucks her eyebrows, dyes her hair, etc., her appearance is then her own doing. If she receives praise, it adds to her own vanity. But a woman who goes "au naturale" knows that her appearance is not her own to toy with. Her natural appearance is a gift to be respected.
GREAT article!!
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