Thursday, May 2, 2013

On prettifying

At 32 years old, I am finally actually pretty comfortable with the way I look.

(Yes, I had a birthday last week.  No, that's not what's prompting this. At least not that I know of.  Hmmm.)

The thing is, I'm so comfortable that I don't bother wearing makeup.  Or moisturizer.  Or washing my face.  Or brushing my hair.  And the shirt I'm wearing seems to have a catch in it that may or may not be opening up into a hole.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe this isn't such a good thing.

I've never been a particularly fussy person about appearances, and I'm kind of proud of  that.  At certain points of my life, I thought it meant I was more serious, less frivolous, and I strongly resisted becoming the kind of girl who primped.  For most of my adult life, including when I was working, I found ways to do the minimum that would get me out the door 10 minutes after I fell out of bed and still look professional enough that I wouldn't end up in the principal's office.

For a stay at home mom? The minimum?  Is nothing.

How liberating, to not have to care what I look like.  There's nobody to worry about being pretty for.

Except, well, me.

Huh.

I'm starting to think that maybe spending a few minutes looking presentable every day is time well spent.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm never going to "put on a full face" whatever that means.  You will not find me using any appliances on my hair.  I am not interested in getting regular manicures, or any skin treatment with a name.

But maybe I should wash my face.  And get the knots out of my hair.  And tweeze my eyebrows once in a while. And a little color on my lips wouldn't kill anyone.

Because, even though I don't HAVE to, maybe it's something that matters.  Maybe taking care of my outward appearance a little bit will make me feel better.  And maybe it won't take away from but will add to who I am on the inside.

It's worth a try.

6 comments:

  1. Give it a try! You might be surprised at how you feel, and if you couldn't care less, then right back to doing nothing!

    I find that using color (aka, applying makeup) is plain old fun. My face is a canvas, and my makeup is the palette. I enjoy it the way I used to enjoy painting or anything else creative. (Ouch, how sad is it for me that putting on makeup is my primary creative endeavor these days?! Must fix that.)

    Anyway, I feel more confident when I make the effort to look the way I envision wanting to look in the morning. And increased confidence sometimes (occasionally) leads to increased happiness for me. I hope I don't sound shallow in this comment.

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  2. I spend many a day with no makeup and my 2-day hair in a pony tail bun thingy. But the days when I put on a dress (one I can just slip over my head - how easy is that?) and curl my hair (I'll teach you how. So easy), I notice I feel better. I don't know if it's the looking better, or just the time I spent on myself.

    I say give it a chance. You can always decide it's not for you.

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  4. The days that I take a few extra minutes to make myself a little more presentable are the days that I feel better about myself. It gives me confidence, which in turn makes me feel better about who I am.

    It's worth a shot, right?

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  5. My gosh I think you're in my head. I've never been one of those girls either. I got my first pedicure only after someone gave me a gift card. It doesn't occur to me to shop for makeup. I don't know how to wear eye makeup. But lately, I've been in a bit of a rut and I find if I take a few minutes to put on a little color, maybe straighten my hair, I feel a little more confident. And the best part is that I'm doing it just for me.

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  6. It's totally worth a try. Have you tried it since writing this? (Because I'm a horrible blog-reading friend.) It makes a difference for me, for sure.

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