Using makeup to empower

Makeup is a powerful tool. It can make you feel like a glam goddess and give you a badass boost of confidence to take on the day.

Over the last decade or so, makeup and mental health haven’t worked together side by side. Arguably, with beauty standards and pressures on social media and the catwalk being more prominent, it is more important than ever to remind ourselves that we don’t have to buy into this commercialised package of beauty.

Sometimes this is easier said than done. We all have insecurities and it is difficult to not label them as ‘flaws’. Whilst makeup is great and you can contour to the high heavens, it’s super important to be comfortable in our skin and not be reliant on makeup to feel good about ourselves. If anything we should remember makeup is enhancing our natural beauty not creating it.

A common misconception in the past has been that makeup is all about a massive cover-up. For me, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Whilst many people have turned to cosmetics because they feel they have to, many others use makeup for joy and creativity, and/or simply for reasons I wear makeup.

As someone who has experienced bad mental health for many years, my beauty ritual has become a great medium to refocus and show myself some compassion. Whilst I don’t wear a full beat face of glam makeup every day, putting a bit on, on a bad day, really helps to focus my thoughts and feel more put together.

It is important to tackle this cover-up misconception. Many beauty gurus have jumped on the bandwagon of tackling the stigma. Back in 2015, YouTuber NikkiTutorials started The Power of Makeup campaign, in which she only painted half her face. This movement is still a big trend on social media and shows men and women that there is no shame in where you lie on the makeup spectrum and that you can be confident with or without makeup.

So no, makeup isn’t necessarily about covering up something. It’s sometimes about distracting your chaotic thoughts and taking time into making your brows look like sisters and blending your foundation with a damp beauty blender.

According to psychologists and researchers, the act of putting on makeup has positive effects on a person’s mental health. Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert explained in a Yahoo article that this meditative act can lower stress levels, reduce anxiety, and promote a calmer, happier mindset. As well as this, a Harvard study has recently shown wearing makeup has been proven to have “a positive effect on self-esteem, attitude, and personality.” This is known as the ‘lipstick effect’.

Importantly, it is more about the process and giving yourself a second, rather than the final look. Of course, makeup wearers shouldn’t rely on makeup to pick us up when we are in a downward mental spiral. It is important to find true happiness in yourself; whether that means wearing a full face of glam every day or going au naturel, finding comfort in just being ‘you’ is incomparable.

It is without a doubt that makeup and mental health have a connection, but I think it’s important to break the stigma that it is always a negative one. It’s important to differentiate between using makeup as a ‘mask’ rather than an ‘accessory’.

Rather than using terms such as ‘too-much’ or ‘not enough,’ we should be empowering those who wear makeup to make their own rules. This type of makeup shaming is more damaging than anything, and we should be compelling women and men to see applying some makeup as a small accomplishment when the world is on their shoulders.

By no means do I think that makeup is either a long-term coping mechanism or a solution to solving any mental health issues. But small acts of self-care, like putting on some makeup, can help you feel a little bit more like your ‘normal’ self. It is all about finding your peace in the chaos.

Shannon Mountford

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *