"Let Me Be Your Mirror"

Make-Up,

Because apparently you’re looking down.

Turtle Bay, Hawaii : All Naturrrralll

Bags under your eyes

That have short and thin lashes

Pinkless cheeks

Accompanied by a blemish

Or two times a few

Lips of natural color

Should be duller or brighter

Are you sick?

You look tired today.

Thought you were a boy, but then I saw your hair.

Curled hair, or straightened

Change to what you don’t have

Color with lightener

Touch up those roots

What does your natural hair look like?

You don’t even know anymore…

nor do you want to.

Shave this

Tuck That

Suck it in

Burn the fat

Shorter than average

Add a heel

Too tall

Make ‘em flat

Flat like a board

Push ‘em up

Top heavy tipping over

Cover ‘em up.

Make-Up,

Because apparently you were looking down.

A few weekends ago, Ben and I went to the MAC in Bmore where he’s a member. We swam half a mile, and it felt so good! Afterwards we went on a little adventure to Artifact Coffee, which tasted so good! Yet, in between the two I showered and got ready for the rest of the day. I was debating between wearing my hair naturally curly by air drying, or blow drying it straight. I went with curly because I didn’t want to make Ben wait another hour...

Then I started putting on my make-up: concealer around the eyes, bronzer for the cheeks, sparkles for the eye lids, and lastly mascara for the lashes. When I was on this last step of mascara a little girl came in from the pool to get ready as well. She walked up to the mirror next to mine, looked at me putting on make up, went up on her tippy-toes to see herself, looked at her face intensely, touched her cheek, and fixed a crease in her hair, looked at me again, then headed to the showers. I felt a small whisper of my heart tell me, “They’re watching.”

We are telling girls to be all that they can be—tell the boys, anything you can do I can do better! They are capable of anything they set their minds to. We are also telling them to change themselves. The way they were created, knit together, is not good enough, not pretty enough. I pictured having a daughter one day, and preaching to her that she is fearfully and wonderfully made, all the while I am adding on to how God made me.

Conviction clearly hit me. At the same time, make-up can be so fun! I know many people that use make-up as art, and they are so talented--I truly respect that. I felt like a pretty princess on my wedding day, and a lot of that had to do with my hair and make-up! Yet, I should feel like a pretty princess without hair and make-up as well. 

And that is where I have a problem. If I look in the mirror all natural and do not see beautiful, then I’m telling God He did it wrong, and made ugly. I shouldn’t feel like I have to make my lashes longer, skin tanner, scars covered, lips brighter, hair straighter..etc. Our culture has affected me more than I was aware of, and I’m done with it. I will only wear make-up if I want to do it for fun, to add a little sparkle here or there. I will not wear make-up everyday of the week to “hide my ugly” or “put my face on.” Get outta here with that, ladies. Show your strength through your natural beauty, because you really are beautiful just the way you are.

To conclude, here is Ben and I’s new fave song by Alessia Cara: Scars To Your Beautiful

Love from Laura.