Judge yourself and others kindly

I was scrolling through Twitter earlier when I saw an article on Charlotte Tilbury, celebrity makeup artist. If you watch Lisa Eldridge or follow glamour magazines then you'd know who she is! She's done the likes of Kate Moss, Penelope Cruz, and Jennifer Lopez to name a few. She has a blog and YouTube channel, which you must check as soon as you get the chance.

Anyway, that article. Charlotte talked about how makeup transformed her life, how she always wears heels, and how her husband has never seen her without makeup. My first reaction was whoa, this woman has issues! It's sad that she can't trust her husband to accept her "natural" face and that she can't do the same for herself either. And what about her skin? It must be feeling smothered by that almost 24/7 layer of gunk. She's a makeup artist, she must know better. 

Image from Intothegloss.com

Those were the first few things I thought. But then, I read the comments, which is a habit of mine as I get more insight that way and a different view of things. I saw this particular comment and it definitely changed my whole perspective on the matter.

This is true. There are many terrible things that people do. At the end of the day, dressing or doing makeup a certain way shouldn't even be an issue. If a girl likes her made-up face better than her actual face then so what? As far as she is concerned her makeup is her natural face; it's really none of our business. It's the same thing with cosmetic surgery, skin whitening, and dressing ultra conservatively or provocatively.

We all have a right to determine the way we look, and a right not to be prosecuted for it if that decision does not hurt anyone.

I think that it's more important to be honest to ourselves. We are often bullied (implicitly and explicity) to comply with a strict directive about our appearance, which makes us feel miserable and bitter and hateful towards others who do not care about such expectations. Then everything comes full circle, and the ones who lost their identity become the same people who force others to lose theirs.

So that's my takeaway from the Charlotte Tilbury article. :) Judge yourself and others kindly the next time you get the opportunity. That girl with too much blush, too short shorts, or boots in this heat? Give her a break. Maybe that way you'll learn to be kinder to yourself, and maybe eventually learn that it's absolutely okay to wear whatever the hell you want.