Day 15 of My 40 Day Fast: The Beauty Industry Is a Generational Curse

Your natural face is good enough. Your natural face has always been good enough. The world convinced you otherwise, but we can change the world by changing our own thoughts.

I began looking at makeup differently when I was getting ready for a prayer ceremony in my home two years ago. I was about to put on make-up, but a thought dawned on me. God thinks I’m beautiful just as I am.

I had that thought for a reason, and I began exploring the deeper reason behind why I wear makeup. I always told myself that make-up makes me feel good. And it did, but why? ‘I don’t know’ wasn’t a good enough answer. 

I cut through the excuses and was left with the fact that I didn’t think my natural face was good enough. That was a crushing thought, and I decided I never want my future children to feel this way.

My children will be born into a society that makes us feel like our natural face, hair, and body is not good enough if we don’t change.

The beauty industry is a projection of what is going on inside of us. We are insecure about our appearance, and the beauty industry is the size of our collective insecurity. It’s a reflection of us. We propped that thing up. 

Some people think a little make-up is harmless. Since the inception of makeup we have seen generations go from a little makeup to a lot of makeup to injections to surgery because we don’t like our natural face. Enhancing and prolonging beauty has become an insatiable appetite that continues to grow more ravenous. If we continue to feed it who knows what future generations will be doing to their face and bodies.

There is a culture that is promotes, even coddles, all of this. It’s looked down upon to suggest that we heal our insecurities within. Covering up or changing the physical parts of you that you don’t like is not healing insecurity it’s feeding the insecurity.

When I was in high school girls were wearing makeup at 13 years old, and they are starting to much younger now. Girls experimenting with makeup at a young age can be detrimental for their mental and emotional state. It’s the age we are the most impressionable. This is the time insecurities arise and makeup may start off as fun, but it can lead towards years of feeding insecurities. 

Beauty has always been celebrated. Beautiful faces grace the covers of magazines, billboards, and screens. We attack celebrities about their appearance, and this results in them trying to look ‘perfect’. Their altered faces and bodies are then plastered everywhere. Our brains consume this from birth.

We project into the world that which is within us. Those who spew hate are unhealed within themselves. Ugly words and ugly thoughts stem from an ugly place. People who tear others down are really just showing the world where they are mentally and emotionally. 

There’s a lot of talk of breaking generational curses, and the beauty industry is a powerful curse. It’s up to us to make the difficult choices so that future generations do not inherit our insecurities.

I know it’s hard going against what has been set as the norm. I used to wear makeup. I used to get botox and fillers for anti-aging. I used to cover up my grey hairs. I walked away from it all. I realized this is all an illusion that we’re born into, and we believe its real because we don’t know anything else.

Feeding insecurities is an uphill battle. There will always be something to fix. Life is easier when you just accept yourself and begin the process of truly loving yourself.

I don’t want my future children to watch me put on makeup before I leave the house. We live in a world where a woman bearing her natural face to the world is an act of bravery. I don’t want them to believe grey hairs make people less relevant. I want my children to be born free of this generational curse.

When we feel an insecurity within ourselves, we address the disconnect on the outside. But insecurity comes from inside of us and that’s where the focus should be. This quiet act has the power to create radical change. 

Insecurities affect our vibe. It influences how we carry ourselves and how we move through the world. Owning who you are is powerful.

People also wear make-up to look less tired, or less sickly even. My experience has taught me it is better to address my health rather than mask unhealth. The benefits of living a healing lifestyle goes beyond physical appearance. I have energy, and I’m happier.

When you truly love yourself what other’s think of you will not shake you. And if it does, that’s okay. Keep going. There is a lifetime of unlearning to do. We are all works-in-progress.

Healing and loving ourselves is essential, so our children know what that looks like versus what feeding insecurity looks like.