When I was Growing Up Stories Prompt #5 Make-up
My mother rarely wore makeup, just a touch of lipstick on special occasions. As a farmer, she rarely dressed up. The cows and chickens didn’t seem to mind.
Growing up in a family of three girls, my mother probably wore makeup as a teenager. I know her sister wore makeup. Our aunt plucked the hair from her eyebrows and drew them back on her face with an eyebrow pencil. My siblings and I were all a bit afraid of our aunt, and her eyebrows did little to quell these feelings.
Neither my sister nor I wear makeup regularly. I’m not exactly sure why. It could, in part, stem from growing up in a house with five kids, two adults, and only one bathroom. This environment didn’t afford us much bathroom time to experiment with makeup. Also, learning how to apply makeup can be difficult with someone pounding on the door, telling us to hurry because they “Had to go.”
Another reason might be that our dad would tell my sister and me to “stop primping” if we spent more than a few minutes in front of the mirror. Is it possible that his words impacted our attitudes toward makeup?
I’ve learned how to apply makeup and have bought products through the years. I enjoyed experimenting with using the products; however, it never became a habit. I tend to only wear makeup when I’m attending a special event.
I have, however, spent a lot of time waiting for friends and family members to apply their makeup before we can leave the house to go out.
I’ve been surprised by the horrified looks on their faces when I tell them that they look fine without their makeup. After all, we are just going to an early breakfast at a farm-to-table restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
After I realized that they, in many cases, are unable to step outside the door before they put on their face. I wait patiently. Or at least I pretend to wait patiently for my friends as they apply their makeup.
I genuinely think these people look lovely with makeup or without makeup.
However, I want them to feel their best. If wearing makeup helps the people I care about to feel less anxious and more secure, I will wait. If wearing makeup helps them feel more confident, sociable, and extroverted, I will wait, wait, and wait some more.
With Love & Energy by the Pond,
Laurel
