#NoMakeUp Movement, Alicia Keys, and Contouring

Makeup has been around for centuries and people have always been wearing it. Last year contouring has blown up since Kim Kardashian and other celebrities. A lot of people have really just been expressing themselves in this new trend of contouring and full faced makeup. Yet, not one current celebrity has been interested in wearing no makeup for awhile. Not one until Alicia Keys who is now even posing on magazine covers, as seen on her instagram, makeup-less. Does makeup or going makeup-less really empowers women? Or is it something that helps us bash and attack other women? 

As I scrolled through the comments on Facebook after reading Huffington Post Black Voices piece on Alicia Keys and the no makeup hashtags, I saw a lot of negative comments. People who did wear makeup were saying things like, "I do not like how people who don't wear makeup are always bashing people who do, but people who do wear makeup never say or try to force people to wear makeup." Women in general seem to have this issue a lot. It even goes back to men pitting women against each other, because a lot of times there are memes about guys who like women who don't wear as much makeup and about women who do wear makeup and love it. In a way we should all just try to accept each others views. The same thing happens with the natural hair movement. Some people who are natural feel obligated to help "transform" non-naturals. If someone is okay with contouring and perms then they should be able to do that. We should not make other women feel like they are not accepted because they contour or perm their hair everyone is different. Some people know themselves, and they maybe know that natural hair would not be cute on them or that without makeup they think that they do not like right. 

Still, Alicia Keys is far from trying to down other women she's lifting herself up by not covering anything up on herself anymore she wants to be free and open. That's what really counts about the #nomakeup challenge. To inspired other women to fully be free and not hide anymore. She's inspiring other women to do it, and that's what matters. So can we all just stop trying to compete and put each other down? We all have preferences and of course they are not all going to be the same.