Many all-female dorms at APU do an “identity week” of some sort during the year. The women are challenged to cover up their mirrors, avoid using makeup and attend discussions on finding identity in Christ instead of tangible things.
Although identity week is supposed to be about refocusing attention from appearances to intentions, there often seems to be too much emphasis on the makeup part of the challenge. There’s often this assumption that if a woman is wearing makeup, she must be dissatisfied with herself and trying to gain attention, because how could someone secure in her own beauty smear products all over her face?
Plus, One Direction told us that we don’t need that mascara, because we’re already beautiful the way we are, and if that’s not final confirmation I don’t know what is (hint: sarcasm).
Even the anchors of the “Today Show” went without makeup for an hour because they were under the impression that only without it can you become comfortable in your own skin.
Discouraging makeup in the identity week challenge, implies that it is something which must, by its very nature, get in the way of our identities.
Our identities aren’t determined by what covers the body or face. We’ve been taught since we were young that our clothes don’t determine who we are. So why should makeup? Our ultimate identity cannot be hurt so easily. Wearing or not wearing makeup doesn’t change that you are a child of God. Your identity is not so shallow that it can be affected by what powders you put on your face.
For many women, applying makeup is just like getting dressed — it’s simply part of the morning routine. Some women use makeup to cover up acne scars or other blemishes to look professional for work or class, while others may use it to appear more awake and alert during the day.
A psychological study done by Hanover College’s Sarah Scott, naming Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Survey, studied four college-aged women and discovered that the women’s anxiety levels had no relation to the amount of makeup they wore. Makeup was simply a part of the participants’ routines and was not used because they felt like they would be more secure with it on.
Just like putting on a costume doesn’t change who you really are, makeup doesn’t change our real selves. Does Batman completely stop being Bruce Wayne when he puts on the suit? Of course not. His true identity is still intact. He is still Bruce Wayne — he can’t lose that.
This is not to say there is no vanity in human nature. A Simple Skincare study showed that women usually look at their reflection at least eight times a day. Cellphones, sunglasses, windows and laptop screens are all prime places to catch a glimpse of yourself aside from the usual bathroom sink mirror. No, vanity is certainly still an issue. But my question: Is eliminating makeup an effective way to address that vanity?
Too often we take away only the tangible to try to fix the spiritual. We adopt a hermit mindset, denying ourselves tangible pleasures in an effort to become more spiritual. While some may view this approach as admirable, simply removing the physical problems of life in an effort to solve the spiritual ones can’t work. Spiritual issues of the heart like vanity or misguided identity must be solved first with the attitude within.
You don’t like makeup? Don’t wear it. You do like makeup? Go for it. It can’t change your status for better or for worse as God’s beloved. Your identity is not as shallow as that.