You're Either Homely or Insecure

Picture credit to beauty vlogger Nikkie De Jager, who did this video along the same lines as this post!

Check out her video here.

You see a girl with no makeup on. She's got bags under her eyes, maybe a blemish or two. You think to yourself "She'd be so pretty if she just tried a little bit."

You see a girl with full makeup. She's got winged eyeliner, bright lipstick, and perfect contouring. You think to yourself "She'd be so pretty if she didn't try too hard."

We can't win.

We see all kinds of quotes and posts urging women to love themselves, to go makeup-less, and to not give in to society's standards. We say women who do this are confident and don't need makeup to feel pretty.

But we also see tons of posts and videos about how to have the best makeup, how to get glammed up for a night on the town, and how to look put together. We say women who do this are confident and take care of themselves and put their best foot forward.

We are taught the no makeup is good.

We are taught that no makeup is bad.

We are taught that full makeup is good.

We are taught that full makeup is bad.

Newsflash:

Both are great.

You aren't homely if you choose to not wear makeup.

You aren't insecure if you choose to wear makeup.

And you don't have to choose one or the other.

Just yesterday, I met up with two of my cousins who have agreed to do my hair and makeup for my wedding. We had a blast getting all glammed up and experimenting, and I left feeling gorgeous and excited for my big day.

Today, I am typing this with less than half an hour before I have to leave for work, and I am in my pajamas with zero makeup because I feel kind of crappy, and I'm probably not going to do much to change that. I feel comfortable, relaxed, and unpressured.

The point is, either one is OK.

Either one is great, in fact.

Because what is the point of getting ready/doing makeup in the first place?

It's so that you can feel your best.

Maybe you feel your best with fake eyelashes on.

Maybe you feel your best when your face is fresh and clean.

Maybe some days you feel good with lipstick and others you feel better without it.

The point is, it's up to you.

Ultimately, this is what it comes down to:

So go be your best, most confident self.

Whatever that looks like and feels like for you.

Here's a Sword and a Tiara - Go Kick Butt

If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I'm obsessed with the new Wonder Woman movie.

I could go on and on about the character development and the camera work and more, but I wanted to focus on one particular aspect today:

Empowerment.

I left that movie feeling like I could take on the world. I had been given a role model that I could relate to, a woman who stood up for what she believed in and faced impossible odds and ultimately emerged victorious.

If you haven't seen the movie, this is basically how it goes:

I saw one post about this movie that said something along the lines of "I finally get why guys are so much more confident - they have so many guy superhero movies. I just saw Wonder Woman and feel like I can do anything."

I refuse to generalize men as all the same level of confidence, and I am certainly not at all accusing men of being arrogant or thinking they are better than women.

I am simply saying that representation matters.

Seeing elements of yourself in a hero matters.

Feeling powerful because someone like you is represented as powerful matters.

The movie itself was awesome, but we cannot gloss over the motivational and empowering theme music for Wonder Woman. I mean, just listen to this:

I mean really.

I hate running, but I could probably run a half marathon if I had music like this blaring in my ears the whole time.

(jk I would throw up and die, but it makes me feel like I could)

So basically, Wonder Woman is awesome.

But even more than that, so are you.

Use this as inspiration.

Use this as motivation.

Use this to show yourself all of the amazing things you are capable of.

Even just writing this post has got me all pumped up to take on the world.

I am literally on the verge of getting these for myself off Amazon, just so I can wield/wear them in the backyard and make myself feel like a confident freaking powerful warrior.

Sword here and tiara here

 There is nothing stopping you from being strong and powerful and a wonder.

Get inspired, get pumped up, and get going.

The world needs a Wonder Woman like you.