Wenchweek/Wijvenweek: Face/off


As I promised you guys yesterday, I am sharing my naked buttface with you in this post. No make up, no photoshop, no lies.

Now, just to be clear: it's not like posting these pictures was a huge hurdle for me. I am not crying or shaking or being confronted with my own insecurities. I know a lot of people would be, but I think it wouldn't do the subject justice if only those people would tell their story. My story is different, as is yours. It all started in high school, around my 15th birthday : some of my classmates wore make up, others preferred a fresh face. There would always be some kind of judgment to go with the choice you made: a girl who wore make up (or skirts for that matter) was considered a show off or desperate for (male) attention, while a bare faced girl would be considered unattractive, dowdy or masculine, unless she was a B.A.B.E. of course. But hardly anyone considers themself a babe in high school, so basically we were all making each other's and our own lives miserable: we were insecure and judged our own looks, and because of that insecurity we took it out on our classmates who we sought to bring down as well, so we wouldn't feel as crappy about ourselves. Cliché, yes, but oh so very true. If you put someone else in the corner, you feel as if you are standing in the center.

Now, I started out as one of the bare faced girls, but around my 16th birthday I started regularly wearing make up. Most of my classmates had caved by this time, so the judgment wasn't as sharp as it used to be. Apparently, all of us crossed an invisible line that told us it was OK to start wearing make up. Of course I had already bought things, trying them out in the privacy of my own home, but going to school with more than a dab of lipgloss was not something I would have considered. I started putting on eyeliner, and from there more things were added to my make up routine. The most significant item probably being foundation. Eyeliner or lipstick is something that is very obviously present, it gives you a made up appearance. Foundation however is a sneaky little bastard: it makes your skin look flawless (if you use it right), but it actually covers up your natural skin completely to replace it with something more glowy, more even, more perfect. Even when it looks as natural as can be, it is still a mask. Just think about it: if all of us wear foundation, yet none of us actually want to look like we are wearing it, will the concept of natural looking skin just become outdated and gross? We all know everyone has imperfect skin under all of the cremes and lotions, but do we REALLY still know it? And more importantly: do we accept it? Just like ungroomed pubic hair for example, or armpit hair on women. Having a bare face if you are not 100% gorgeous according to standards, or having armpit hair or unshaved legs is basically not done. It is not accepted. We are in denial.

Just to illustrate my point: women are actually getting fired from their jobs because of their refusal to wear make up. We do not want to see our normal faces, naked faces are not acceptable. Having a non-made up face makes you look sick, as if you've given up (like society has lost its grip on you?). Of course transgressors of these limits must be punished! Again, this is a feminist issue. After all, have you ever considered how much more money a woman has to spend on looking good and maintaining her good looks(!)? Make up doesn't come cheap, keeping your wardrobe semi-up-to-date isn't free either. This is a problem that systematically burdens women with practical and mental problems no guy will ever have to deal with. Women in politics have often lamented the fact that male politicians just wear the same suit day in day out and still have the attention directed at their views and goals, while women in public positions are scrutinized for what they wear and how they present themselves at any time. This has been scientifically researched and established as a fact.

But as I have said before: feminism isn't about hating on make up or "girly things". Feminism is about trying to find the reasons why that hate for girly things exists, and about examining the origins of the social practices that hold us back and keep us down. Let me state clearly: I love make up. I love expressing myself through clothes. And while the pressure on us to put on make up and fancy outfits can be very, VERY bothersome, I also see the opportunities it gives us. Men don't have half the affordable options to express themselves through their style and get called effeminate or (zomg even worse!!8!!8!!) gay when they do try and cross the line. However, as much as I love wearing make up every.single.day. I also sometimes wish the choice wasn't already made for me, partially. I wish I could just say "hm, a no make up day today!" and not have the entire world judge me for not taking care of myself. Or more importantly: I wish I could just love my no make up face as much as I do my public face.

So here is my naked face. No Make Up Monday, people! Let's start with the worst pictures, because they illustrate the point I'll be trying to make the best. You see, I'm not the biggest fan of my skin or my make up-less face. I have uneven skin, pores, redness, dark circles: everything a normal person's skin has, and then some. When I saw this first picture on my viewfinder, I thought I looked like a burn victim. Even though I don't want to be a slave of the beauty myth, and I don't think we should all look attractive all of the time (people can have their own priorities), I still prefer looking nice.


Here I am, pores away! I've barely rubbed the sleep out of my eyes here, and I was sort of hating my face. Messy, ill, tired, blotchy and not expressive. But the lighting wasn't doing any favors, so I took my ass over to a window to get some natural light up in hiyah. No one looks good in a dimly lit bathroom, NO NOT EVEN YOU LARA STONE


Slightly better. I look like a ghost but hey, at least my skin looks sort of nice? Gosh, I really am pale.(I'm livestreaming my thoughts here). But maybe it's just the fact that I look so... Serious? Sad?


Actually, after seeing this picture a couple of times on my monitor, I started accepting it. I have said it once and I'll say it again: taking thousands of pictures of yourself for your blog and browsing through them gives you a much more honest view on who you are and what you look like. Just try and look at a picture you HATE over and over again, and you'll find that it actually isn't as bad as you thought it was. That's what happened in my mind here.


Downstairs on my "good lighting" spot again, after showering. I actually don't mind the way I look here? Apparently my skin isn't nearly as bad as I thought it was? And look at those pretty, naturally rosey cheeks!
So was I cured?


Neh, I still chose to put on my make up. And I still prefer my face with make up. I can control the way I am perceived by others if I wear my mask, and I am a big control freak. But to say this didn't mean anything would be wrong as well. By sharing my natural face with you, I am showing you that mostly everyone has imperfect skin. And that's okey. In fact, I challenge you all to take some pictures of yourself without make up and look at them for a while. After all, the first step is acceptance. Looking your fears in the (dark circled) eye.

45 comments

  1. Yes!! Go you!! That's what I was trying to say in all my No Make Up Monday posts, but never quite got it across right =D You look awesome, those naturally rosy cheeks are beautiful, there is nothing to hate or dislike at all about your make up less face, you have beautifully clear skin and you just look amazing!! Unfortunately I don't have the natural rosy cheeks you have, I have paaaale ones instead, pretty much every time I go make up less, which is like 3 times a week (I'm lazy!!) my family asks me if I'm ill because I look pale, takes them a while to catch on...!! But yes, you are awesome and thank you for this post =D
    xx

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  2. Dude, there's nothing wrong with your skin! You look a bit tired, but that's not a crime. Do you really wear make-up every day? And doesn't it kind of wear/rub off after a few hours--or am I just completely incompetent at putting make-up on? Anyway, obviously I love what you have to say and agree (and wouldn't mind some make-up lessons from you, let's be honest. : ) x

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  3. I wear a full-face of make-up for work, because I think of it as an extension of my 'professional' wardrobe, I guess. I don't bother at weekends, unless I'm going out. If I'm just kicking around in my town, I might whack on some tinted moisturiser and mascara, but I'm quite happy without the full-face.
    I guess I got used to me sans make-up when I worked in a pub restaurant. Between the running around and the hot kitchen, I was sweaty and yucky and oily from the air in the kitchen, there was just no point in putting make-up on. I don't think I'd have handled more stuff on my skin!

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  4. I really loved reading this article, its such a great subject to talk about. I have to say that I didn't really reaslised that a woman without make-up is not done, I see plenty woman without any make-up every day. Personally I just can't be bothered to use make-up every day, I actually only use it when I go out, that's it. And you're lovely wit your bare face, you really are a pretty girl :).

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  5. Nou het enige verschil, qua huid, wat ik zie met make up is dat de huid onder je ogen minder donker is en dat je wangen minder rood zijn. Er is echt bijna NIKS mis met je huid :-D hahaha je had een paar weken geleden iets gezegd a la 'Ja maar ik zie er helemaal niet fris uit zonder make up!', wel dus! We hebben gewoon een heel doorzichtige huid maar je ziet er helemaal niet moe uit. Ik denk dat mam haar onvoorzichtige omgang met onze onzekerheden wel het een en ander nog hebben achtergelaten. (ze zegt bvb ALTIJD tegen ons dat we er moe uitzien terwijl we gewoon GOD FORBID geen make up op hebben of als je een keer een puistje hebt zegt ze basically "wat is die knoepert van een rode rakker op je kin?" :-D) Anyhooooo, wat mij betreft zie je er nog steeds hetzelfde uit als toen je zeventien was. Vind ik wel leuk om te merken, voor mij zal je altijd mijn zeventienjarige oudere zus blijven, al word je 60, denk ik!

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  6. I only started to put on make up often (but not yet on a daily basis, only when I feel like I want to) when I moved to London. I felt my skin really deteriorated after coming here and the thruth is, when I am in Portugal I feel my skin glows a bit more, so I put on lipstick and maybe mascara and I'm good, but here the foundation and concealer are some sort of basic thing. And if it is to make me feel a bit better looking about myself, why not? I loved what you said, and agree. But girl, there's nothing wrong with your makeupless face, you just look a bit tired. You should see my eye bags after three nights of work, haha. Anyway, you must teach me how to put on eyeliner, that's the thing I tried and tried and am a zero at it, so just gave up, lolz!

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  7. In de winter kom ik zelden buiten zonder make-up, en make-up houdt dan in concealer, foundation, poeder, blush, mascara en eventueel wat oogpotlood, soms ook lipstick of eye liner. Maar in de zomer, dan draag ik zelden make-up, hoogstens een beetje mascara als ik wegga. Ik weet niet hoe het komt, maar als de zon begint te schijnen en mijn eerste zomersproeten te voorschijn komen, voel ik mij zoveel meer op mijn gemak met mijn make-up loos gezicht. Gek toch eigenlijk.
    Af en toe las ik wel eens een make-up loze dag in tijdens de winter, en dan krijg ik wel steevast het commentaar dat ik er moe uit zie van de mannelijke helft van de bevolking... (Al ben ik waarschijnlijk ook gewoon moe op die moment, toch krijg ik die opmerking vaker wanneer ik geen make-up draag.)

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  8. Great post ! It really make me think and I agree with everything you said. It's really courageous what you did with those pictures. Even if I think you're right, I don't have the courage to do it tought ;)

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  9. yeah, it always wears off a bit. Mostly on my skin, since I already wear quite a thin coverage foundation (with SPF). For some reason that doesn't bother me that much because my eye make up etc compensates? I don't know, it's not all that logical :-D and yes, eeeeeeeeevery day, except maybe once in two months :D

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  10. daar heb ik geen problemen mee! :-D ik vind ook dat ik er jonger uitzie zonder make up, for some reason. Jonger en moeër :D

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  11. I think most women you think aren't wearing make up are in fact wearing some. Every single one of my friends wears make up most of the time, at the least a bit of eyeliner/pencil!

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  12. Ik loop door de week wel vaak zonder make-up rond.. Meestal draag ik dan enkel een beetje mascara, gewoon om het gevoel te hebben dat ik er beter uit zie (niet dat dat zoveel verschil zal maken, maar toch...)
    Ik denk dat make-up voor veel mensen gewoon een bepaald gevoel opwekt, ook al zie je er niet zo verschillend uit. Zoals je zelf al zei, een beetje zoals een masker, waardoor je jezelf beschermd en beter, minder blootgesteld voelt.

    Ik vind het echt moedig van je om je foto's onbewerkt te posten! Zouden we eigenlijk allemaal eens moeten doen...

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  13. I used to be horrible at it too but I got better with experience! it's still something that requires a bit of effort, but if you really want to try an easy way, try this tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2s-WERzo9U !

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  14. ja in de zomer heb ik ook veel minder nodig, dan draag ik soms niks op mijn huid en wat mascara. Maar helemaal geen make up zal je toch niet snel zien bij mij :D

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  15. vind ik ook, blogs zijn van echte mensen maar ze tonen maar een selectie van de realiteit, jammer genoeg (if you ask me). En ik ga volledig akkoord, make up is een soort harnas zelfs. Een ritueel ook wel, dat opbouwen van je dagelijkse gezicht :)

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  16. Tsja, ik draag (bijna) nooit make-up maar ik mag van jou waarschijnlijk niet reageren omdat mijn huid helemaal geen make-up hoeft ;-) Hoewel mijn huid er ook echt slecht aan toe kan zijn! Als ik teveel make-up heb opgehad na een week veel werken ofzo, heb ik ook veel vlekjes en pukkeltjes en poriën die je kan zien. No fun! Maar dan moet je eigenlijk net je huid rust geven en goed reinigen zodat die zich optimaal kan herstellen, in plaats van er nog een extra laag op te smeren.

    Heel soms draag ik mascara of werk ik mijn wenkbrauwen wat bij, maar dat is misschien 1 keer in de twee weken ofzo. ALS ik dan al eens een stapje verder ga (foundation, mijn god!), betrap ik mijzelf erop dat ik de dagen daarop òòk evenveel make-up wil dragen omdat ik mezelf anders niet 'even mooi' voel. Dan stop ik er meteen mee, want anders raak ik gewoon in een vicieuse make-up cirkel! Dus beter geen make-up voor mij want anders ga ik helemaal crazy en kan ik op den duur ook niet meer zonder :-)

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  17. Still looking great, doll! Echt, je ziet er beter uit zonder make-up dan mij. Luckily heb ik het beste vriendje in de wereld dat zegt 'dat hij het verschil niet ziet'... Aaah, liefde maakt toch blind hé ;-)

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  18. iedereen mag reageren! jij bent gewoon die B.A.B.E. waar ik het in mijn post over had, haha! maar dan nog, het zit meestal in je hoofd. Ik heb eigenlijk ook geen make up NODIG maar ik voel me gewoon mooier met, en dat zit echt in mijn hoofd. Zoals je zegt, het is de stepping stone theorie! :D maar de vlekken die ik heb had ik al voor ik make up begon te dragen: op mijn voorhoofd bijv zie je een pigmentvlek (vrij groot maar licht) en ook vaak rode vlekke, das omdat mijn huid HEEL dun is.

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  19. het is vast veel minder erg dan je dacht! :D foto nemen en kijken!

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  20. Ik draag meestal gewoon wat mascara en matte poeder omdat mijn neus anders blinkt maar voor de rest ook niets! Behalve rode lippenstift of eyeliner, maar eerlijk: ik heb daar 's ochtends meestal geen tijd voor :D Foundation draag ik gewoon niet, vind nooit een kleur die bleek genoeg is voor mij en zie er het nut niet van in aangezien mijn huid er redelijk goed uitziet zonder! :)
    Leuk van die 'naked'-foto's eens te posten, weinigen durven het aan! :)

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  21. Mooie post, Annebeth! Uw wimpers, maat, gorgeous, even without make-up. Ik draag ook niet elke dag the full option en ik heb ook ongeveer allemaal dezelfde kleine 'défauts' als jij. Maar ik zette vandaag een vergelijkende foto van mezelf op mijn Tumblr en iedereen reageerde dat de natuurlijke mooist is. En nu ben ik in de war :D.

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  22. Hihi, zoals hieronder gezegd zegt ook mijn vriendje altijd 'maar ik zie het niet hoor'. Maar toch zegt hij altijd dat ik er goed uitzie als ik wat moeite gedaan heb en dan voel ik dat hij trots is op mij. Klinkt waarschijnlijk ongelooflijk ouderwets maar ik hou daarvan. Ik wil tenslotte ook graag dat hij er goed uitziet :)

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  23. Strange... I normally don't wear make up, I never wear foundation only I put it directly onto some zits when it's really bad cause lol I'm 24 and my teenage zits should be gone by now but to no avail grgr and my make up days would consist of just lipstick, blush and some mascara...
    anyway I never have considered a woman 'less' because they don't wear make up and I know many who don't wear on a daily basis apart from me. Plus I have worked for two years and no one ever gave me a bad comment about me not wearing make up. So I think the assumption of people instantly judging you because you wear no make up might be a bit extreme and maybe it depends also in which contexts and people you live with, I guess. But I certainly don't feel any pressure in the morning to go and cover my face with make up and I'm actually glad that it's like that. There are enough social constraints for women for me to put up with one more (aka make up). And I really don't see anything wrong with your face: rosy cheeks you got nice fine features, I mean, you are naturally pretty.It is true, though, that make up can enhance your looks and I have never judged anyone because they wear 'tons' of make up.

    What we shouldn't forget is that we have the choice "to wear/not wear make up", and it should be fine as long as that is OUR personal choice -not theirs (society).

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  24. I agree 100%. Besides, the fact that your experience with this is different from mine does not devalue your or my truth, we all have different lives and experiences :) You are from spain or portugal, right? I think it's harder for very pale girls like me to not wear make up, because without the tan we look very bland very soon. I find it easier not to wear make up in the summer as well :) My friends all wear make up mostly every day! Maybe not foundation, but at least some eyepencil.

    I'd never consider a woman less based on make up too btw, let that be clear. But I have encountered it in my environment.

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  25. woman are you kidding me ? you look beautiful!

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  26. Aw, your skin does look nice without makeup! I never do anything more complicated than lipgloss or mascara (and even those pretty rarely), mostly because I don't really know what to do with anything else. I need someone to teach me how all that shiz works. I just keep telling myself my glasses make the dark circles under my eyes less noticeable and leave it at that, haha.

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  27. Way to go, Annebeth! You look just as nice without any makeup!

    I started getting into makeup way late (like a year a half ago? haha). My mother tried her best to make me smart but plain all my life, so when I finally broke free I wanted to experiment. I wear makeup sparingly, probably just two days a week. I do fill my eyebrows if I'm leaving the house (because I have SO LITTLE HAIR everywhere but on my head), but everything else is extra. I think the whole "taking care of yourself" thing has a lot to do with whether you look confident and happy. If you feel good in your skin without makeup, then it should be fine by everyone. I personally am happy both ways, and I think that's the reason why makeup brings me joy instead of adding to my insecurity.

    Sunny xx

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  28. haha I'm from Chile. And I am considered very pale in my country not here in Belgium though aahaha.

    It does suck that women get fired for not wearing make up (wtf??) or that you have encountered that kind of bashing in your environment, I wish we could all be more relaxed about our looks but hey that's not gonna happen any time soon... Anyway it's good to discuss these topics with a sincere and sensible person, that's why I like your blog over the hundreds of other blogs :)

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  29. well, my guess could have been further off! :D

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  30. This is such an excellent post!!! I was thinking about this subject the other day, I love makeup, applying it, playing with it etc and I have for a long time. But it gets to be like a "safety blanket" almost, where if you're without it you feel less or naked! I wear a lot less then I used to, in high school I experimented with loads of eyeshadow (in every shade from neon yellow, to hot pink and sparkly black, always with a ton of eyeliner) and now I can say I'm pretty comfortable with less. The only thing I'm uncomfortable without is foundation BUT only at the times when my 23 year old skin still thinks it's 16 and breaks out.
    You look gorgeous with or without makeup and I think you have gorgeous skin! It's definitely an important issue for women to think about and decide upon for themselves. For me it's the feeling of being "put together" just like some days I dress up more or am a bit more casual my makeup routine follows suit!
    xJennaD

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  31. You are beautiful! I am kind of in awe of how pretty and clear your skin is. Seriously, you're just gorgeous with or without makeup. And reading this made me think about how much I've changed-- when I first tried makeup at 16, I didn't like the way it looked on me. I preferred my "naked" face. But now, I love makeup and I prefer at least wearing foundation and blush. I have rare days where I'll wake up and like the way I look sans-makeup, but I usually end up deciding to put on a face just to go out, because I end up thinking "oh, I look so tired/red/blotchy/insert-other-criticisms-here".
    But I kind of like the no-makeup Monday idea. It's a good one. More fashion bloggers should realize that they are beautiful (like you) without makeup on, and makeup doesn't define them!

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  32. I'd def say your skin looks completely normal to me!! Def if you did an outfit post I wouldn't notice. I do know a few w/ "perfect skin" and I usually go "bare" on the blog becuase I generally take pics on the weekend because...... the truth is I would feel a big out of place in the office w/ completely no makeup, dammned double standard- another kuddos for bringing this up. We def criticize women's appearance WAY too much (and your story reminded me quite of my own in high school).
    http://dusanabotswana.com/

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  33. You are very pretty even without your make-up on, Annebeth! I love your eyes. :) You're skin gets red but I think it's normal, especially because you're caucasian.:))

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  34. Yet another great post from you Annebeth! I have personally never worn make-up and don't plan on in the near future - simply cause I'm way too lazyyyyyy. But also because I used to have the worst skin in my teenage years. I dealt with severe acne from about 14 to 20. I still get a spot every now and then but because I know how bad it used to be (and how horrible it made me feel) one little spot is relative to me, y'know? No one'll probably notice. Also, even if I'd want to, make-up isn't really good for your skin and I think it might make mine worse again. I just tend to use a concealer if I have any spots but if you have bad acne then that's not an option cause it'll only make your face look worse.
    In hindsight: I think you look great and have beautiful skin, with and without make-up. I don't care what other people choose to do, it's your choice! And mostly I'm happy I no longer have to deal with the bad skin I used to have. I really think acne is something people need to give more attention to. It's not always just a teenage thing and it can be helped!

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  35. I'm not wearing make up in 90% of my posts.
    I hate make up and I dont have any skin problems to hide.
    I guess the only problem with my skin is that I'm very white :))

    Well said though and Congrats for your strength to get those pictures :)
    xo

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  36. I find other people's relationship with make up fascinating. When I was in high school I wore a lot of make up - foundation, eye line, eye brow pencil, mascara, concealer, blusher... We used to go to The Body Shop on Saturdays for a make-over, and they naturally put far more make up on a 14 year old girl than was really necessary, to sell the stuff! But as I got older I began to realise that I had nothing that needed hiding with foundation, and more to the point, it was nigh impossible to get foundation within my budget in my skin tone. I was too pale for cheap foundations. So I stopped wearing it.

    These days, on the one day a week I go into the office, I wear blusher, possibly a dab of concealer, and eyebrow pencil, but that's all. Staring at a computer all day means I rub my eyes too often for any eye make up to be practical. On a night out I wear mascara, occasionally eye liner, and usually a lip tint, but not much more. Now in my 30s, I find I am freer from make-up than I have ever been before!

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  37. You still look pretty without make up, doll!

    x Krizia

    Shark Attack - Fashion Blog

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  38. I really hate how people automatically assume a woman is ill, or hasn't had enough sleep or something if she doesn't wear makeup. We're all so used to seeing people with perfect, flawless faces that we forget that dark circles and differing skin tones and such are just natural parts of our bodies, the way nature made them. I actually really like my makeup-less face, but I will admit I'm more comfortable with it if I'm dressed like a boho hippie, while I'd feel weird going to work without makeup.

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  39. Ik ben één van de weinige in mijn vriendinnen- en collegagroep die elke dag make-up draagt. Ik ben er ooit mee begonnen en nooit meer mee gestopt. 't Is een gewoonte maar ik vind ook wel dat ik er beter uitzie met op z'n minst een beetje blush. Ik ben heel bleek. Op goede dagen heb ik van die gezonde blozende wangen maar van die goede dagen heb ik jammer genoeg niet veel. Om er dus niet ziek uit te zien, draag ik blush. Ik zou niet zonder kunnen maar heb er ook geen probleem mee om eens een dagje zonder rond te lopen.

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  40. Wat een leuke post! Ik draag enkel mascara en op 'specialere' dagen draag ik meestal ook nog wat poeder, blush, oogshaduw. Ik merk ook wel dat als ik dit vaker doe, ik meer last heb van uitslag. Gebruik nochtans MAC en reinig mijn gezicht tweemaal per dag grondig... Ochja... met de natural way (incl. regelmatig puistjes en koorstblaasjes) moeten ze het maar doen ;-)

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  41. I've been using make-up since I was 13-14, so I'm totally used to it by now. I'd never post my face without make-up on the blog. Not because I'm insecure about it, it's just not how I perceive myself.
    You've seen me without anyway :p
    You look cute though, gives me a homey feel :)

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  42. I know what you mean, make up is so important to express myself and I don't feel as if I'm fully "me" without it. That is a component of it, absolutely!

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