I was scrolling through Instagram as I usually do before going to bed when I encountered a story with a specific TikTok called ‘Why girls take “so long” to get ready’. Seeing how I had experienced a similar issue the night before just as portrayed in the video, I immediately took out my laptop and started writing this article.
Knowing I have to go out causes me stress which is always based on one thing – appearance, which goes hand-in-hand with self-esteem. I worry that a big pimple will pop up and that I would not be able to cover it with makeup. I worry that my skin would be too dry or oily, and thus the foundation would look weird. I worry that my eyeliner won’t be symmetrical and that my lined lips would look wonky. I worry that I would be under- or over-dressed. Or that what I’m wearing is not appropriate in the eyes of those accompanying me; that I would not ‘fit in’ with the rest of society.
No matter what they do or choose, women seem to never get it right in the eyes of society. And although males experience it too, it looks to me that females are always targeted when it comes to judgement. If we do not apply makeup, society tells us to put on makeup. If we wear crop tops and short shorts, society tells us we are being slutty. If we wear comfortable hoodies and sweatpants, we are not trying. When is it going to be enough?
How come photos on Facebook, Insta-posts, stories, whatever, are always edited? What good is it doing? As a follower of multiple content creators, I can say that I relate with none of them. And if I am being totally honest, I experience sadness every time I see a picture of theirs, even when I know that it may have probably been edited. Why can’t I look like that? Why do I have to have a big pimple on my chin and cheek? Why are my forehead wrinkles showing through my foundation, but other influencers don’t experience this? How come we need to edit our pictures in order to feel pretty? Do you feel like the person in the picture is you – after you’ve enhanced your lips, fixed your eyebrow hairs, slimmed your nose with makeup techniques?
Pimples, scars, wrinkles, spots and marks are absolutely normal, yet we are made to feel ashamed of them because of beauty standards that were set by individuals who are just like you and me. I want to feel comfortable when I go out without feeling like a failure because ‘I did not try enough’. I want to wear an oversized hoodie because it makes me feel all cozied up and not because ‘I do not have clothes that fit me’. Why is being different such an issue in this world?
As a woman, who has suffered with a low self-esteem ever since I can remember, I am not flattered by a perfect face and body, but rather ashamed because I know I will never look like that.
And yes, I know that there are people who do their very best to look their finest – and I am happy for them. But content creators should also address the fact that there are people out there who are not so financially blessed to be able to go to the hairdresser every week before weekly shopping trips, to do their nails every 2 weeks, and do monthly laser treatments.
It seems that nowadays, feeling pretty is not temporary. Feeling comfortable is bad. And saving up for your future indicates financial issues. And this irks me because I want to be comfortable and feel pretty while getting on the bus to go to a lecture at University – and yet society criticises me for it. When are we going to realise that feeling comfortable in our skin is amazing? When are we going to accept that some may have dry or oily hair and skin? When are we going to normalise pimples, acne scars, marks, wrinkles and spots? When are we going to normalise thrifted, passed down clothes? When are we going to normalise being real?
@cameronndoan TAG a girl ✨ The process of getting ready….. ##fyp ##girls ##relate ##ootd ##gettingready ##society ##beyou ##confidence ##girly ##viral ##pov
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Christianne Marie Galea is currently reading for a B.A (Hons) in Early Childhood Education and Care at the Faculty of Education, University of Malta, which will lead her to become an early childhood educator. Her wish is to create an environment in which her class children will feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and emotions while expressing themselves freely.
In her free time Christianne loves creating art through mixed mediums such as water colours, acrylic, pencil colours and aquarelles. She also loves listening to music, acting and spending time with her sisters.
Click here to check out Christianne’s full bio as well as a list of all her Wham published articles
