Look, all makeup is a lie. I get that. That said, contouring is a step too far.
Though I am a big, huge fan of makeup, I hit critical mass somewhere around 24. Before that, it was a natural progression. It started with lip gloss in middle school, mostly because Lip Smackers were at peak popularity and HELLO THEY TASTED LIKE CANDY. It was less about aesthetics than it was about being the girl with a hundred of those freaking things on a key chain. Lip Smackers were greater than currency. They were power.
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| Behold, the Pokémon of beauty products. |
From Lip Smackers to eye shadow, which (at least when you're twelve) is like sparkly pixie dust and not much more serious than aforementioned tastygloss. More often than not, we applied that crap all the way up to our eyebrows and likely resembled wannabe fairy prostitutes. High School saw my discovery of eyeliner and punk rock, from which there has been no true escape. I didn't start doing sophisticated makeup until mid-college, but even that was fairly minimalist. For the most part, I used it to enhance my eyes and hide my blemishes.
Skip back to critical mass at 24. We're talking foundation, blush, bronzer, lipstick, falsies, the works. I was fake as hell and (insofar as I can recall) likely resembled a drag queen. I had gone from enhancing what I had to just straight up face-paint. In retrospect, this was problematic for two reasons. One, I was relying too heavily on these things to feel attractive and two, I looked like a freaking clown.
This is why I take issue with contouring.
It's not so much the padded bra argument, but it shares some philosophies. First, I believe that (with very few exceptions) all people are beautiful and interesting in their own ways. And that goes for everything. Lately, the popular body obsession has been big giant lips and asses (neither of which I possess.) Before, it was giant Pam Anderson boobs. Having a dark tan has come and gone in and out of vogue. But I don't think that going to great lengths to achieve these looks is in any way desirable.
Let me put it this way: how many steps from your true self have you gone when your makeup routine requires a diagram?
And what was wrong with the woman in the above picture? What is contouring really giving her, other than alien-perfect cheekbones and pancake face? And seriously, what sort of life are you living where you feel compelled to contour your boobs to make them seem bigger? I wish I could find this girl and tell her that her boobs are beautiful and perfect as is.
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| Besides, how long can you keep the giant boob facade up anyway? I feel as though this is an optical illusion that any sincerely interested party would see through fairly quickly. |
The mindless pursuit of looking fashionable has firmed my certainty that true beauty is diverse, and diverse beauty is fantastic. Contouring- while perhaps less homogenizing than bleach blonde hair, giant fake boobs, dark tans and Kylie Jenner lips- is just another beauty fad that takes focus away from what's truly important. And if you guessed that BEING YOURSELF is the most important thing, you win. Yes, it's a timeworn lesson we've been hearing from go, but it's absolutely true.
Makeup is a tool that I use almost daily to feel more confident, but its powers only go so far. Would I look good if I contoured? Probably (if I could get that technique down right, and it looks seriously complicated.) But I refuse to take that step, because at the end of the day there are things that matter much more to me than looking flawless. Plus, I think I look alright the way I am. I don't have giant lips or crazy cheekbones, but I've got my own thing going. Anyone who uses makeup has their own balance to strike with it and the lengths they're willing to go to. I just urge anyone who's seriously into this contouring thing to reconsider. Natural beauty is something to cherish.
