By Mackenzie
With Kara interrupting, because apparently she has notes
And Nessa keeping everyone calm
Okay, babes, let me say this properly.
I like beauty.
I like a soft lip gloss. I like clean skin. I like a good mascara that makes me look slightly more awake than I actually feel. I like fresh hair, nice lingerie, cute sportswear, moisturiser that smells expensive, and that tiny little moment when you catch yourself in the mirror and think, “Okay, she’s doing alright today.”
So no, this is not me saying beauty is bad.
Beauty can be fun. Beauty can be playful. Beauty can be confidence in a tube, a bottle, a compact, a matching set, or a pair of leggings that actually stay where they’re told.
But beauty should feel like something you choose.
Not something you owe.
That’s where I draw the line.
Because there is a difference between putting on a bit of gloss because it makes you feel fresh, and putting on a full face because you feel like the world has decided your normal face is not enough.
Your normal face is enough.
Kara: “And if anyone disagrees, they can go and have a quiet word with themselves in a badly lit changing room.”
Nessa: “Maybe just a quiet word, pet. No need to start a national incident.”
Thank you, Nessa.
The point is, looking good should not feel like an unpaid job.
You are allowed to enjoy beauty without turning yourself into a performance. You can wear makeup because you like it. You can wear no makeup because you cannot be bothered. You can do skincare because it makes you feel cared for. You can wear lingerie under a hoodie because nobody else needs to know, but you know, and that is enough.
That is the bit I love.
The private confidence.
The kind nobody can see immediately, but you can feel.
A good bra. Soft knickers. A sports set that fits properly. A little perfume. Brushed hair. Bare skin. Glossy lips. Clean trainers. Whatever makes you feel a bit more like yourself.
Not better for someone else.
More yourself for you.
Kara: “That’s the difference, isn’t it? Looking good because you fancy it, not because some fella in Tesco might approve.”
Exactly.
Beauty standards get annoying when they stop being about choice and start becoming rules.
Rules about what women should hide.
Rules about what women should fix.
Rules about what counts as attractive.
Rules about what is “too much” and what is “not enough.”
Too much makeup. Not enough effort. Too old for that. Too young for this. Too curvy. Too flat. Too pale. Too loud. Too plain. Too dressed up. Too comfortable. Too confident.
Honestly, it’s exhausting.
And I’m a woman who owns multiple lip products for slightly different emotional situations, so when even I say it’s exhausting, you know it’s gone too far.
Nessa: “There’s nowt wrong with wanting to feel nice. But there is something wrong with feeling like you have to earn being seen.”
That’s it.
That is exactly it.
Beauty should not be the price of admission.
You should not have to look polished to be respected. You should not have to look attractive to be treated kindly. You should not have to shrink, smooth, hide, cover, lift, flatten, pluck, paint, tan, tone or apologise before you feel allowed to take up space.
You are allowed to exist before the mascara.
You are allowed to be confident before the matching set.
You are allowed to feel beautiful before anyone else agrees.
And yes, wear the pretty thing.
Wear the lipstick.
Wear the sports bra that makes you stand taller.
Wear the lingerie that makes you feel like you’ve got your life together, even if your laundry basket says otherwise.
Kara: “That laundry basket has seen things.”
Nessa: “We’re not judging the basket today.”
But do it because it gives you something.
A bit of lift.
A bit of sparkle.
A bit of comfort.
A bit of “I’ve got myself today.”
Not because you’re trying to be acceptable.
Not because social media told you your pores are offensive.
Not because some advert whispered that your thighs need a five-step improvement plan.
Your thighs are not a project.
Your skin is allowed texture.
Your body is allowed to change.
Your face is allowed to look like it has lived a life.
And your beauty routine is allowed to be as simple as you want it to be.
That is what minimal beauty means to me.
Not boring.
Not careless.
Not giving up.
It means choosing what actually makes you feel good and leaving the rest.
Maybe that is tinted moisturiser and lip balm.
Maybe it is clean hair and a decent bra.
Maybe it is washing your face, putting on leggings that fit, and going for a walk without checking yourself every three seconds.
Maybe it is nothing at all except drinking water and deciding the public can cope with your natural face today.
Kara: “The public will survive. They’ve survived worse. Have you seen some people’s opinions online?”
Exactly.
We do not need beauty standards telling us we are failing because we are not constantly polished.
We need beauty to become personal again.
Quiet if we want it quiet.
Bold if we want it bold.
Soft if we want it soft.
Practical if we want it practical.
Glam if we want it glam.
It should fit around our lives, not take them over.
And that goes for clothes too. Sportswear should help you move. Lingerie should fit your actual body. Beauty products should make your day feel nicer, not make you feel like you are one serum away from being worthy.
Because you already are.
That sounds cheesy, but I mean it.
You do not become worthy after the skincare routine.
You do not become confident only when the outfit is perfect.
You do not become beautiful because someone else finally notices.
You were already there.
The gloss just caught the light.
Nessa: “That’s a lovely way of putting it, mind.”
Kara: “Don’t encourage her too much. She’ll have it printed on a tote bag.”
I might.
And honestly, I’d make it cute.
So yes, beauty standards can jog on, thanks.
Not beauty.
Not style.
Not makeup.
Not lingerie.
Not sportswear.
Not wanting to feel gorgeous.
Just the pressure. The performance. The idea that we are all supposed to be constantly available for approval.
That can go.
Because I want beauty that feels like freedom.
I want a bra that supports me, leggings that move with me, skincare that feels kind, and makeup that says, “I chose this,” not, “I had to.”
I want women to feel good in their bodies before they start decorating them.
I want us to stop saving confidence for later.
And I want every woman reading this to know that she does not have to look perfect to be powerful.
She just has to feel like herself.
And if a little lip gloss helps?
Babes, apply it.
