I couldn’t wait for the premier of season 10 of The Talk today. The five women hosts were going on stage with no makeup on. I guess the big question is “Does makeup change who we are?” My first instinctive answer would be “No! Absolutely not!”, said rather indignantly. Clothes and face paint cannot change the person I am inside, so I couldn’t wait to see my hero, Julie Chen, as she really is and gauge my reaction.
Well, I think my opinion was changed, or slightly moved a bit to the “yes” side. I was blown away when I saw Julie without makeup. She really didn’t look like any Julie I had ever seen on TV. Out of the five women, the most shocking changes were Sharon Osborne and Julie. Julie’s story about going out without makeup got me thinking. Her sister told her she looked like a Chinese delivery boy. Last night at the nail salon a woman tapped her on the shoulder and said, “Ling, how long until my mani-pedi?” Can you imagine? Julie Chen went from, well, Julie Chen, to a Chinese delivery boy and a manicurist. (Not that there’s anything wrong with being a delivery boy or a manicurist) The point is, no makeup changed the perception of who Julie Chen was, from who she usually is.
Now I’m not naive enough to believe that who anyone is inside depends on whether or not they wear makeup, but on the other hand, I do believe that the makeup we wear and the style of our clothes make strong statements about who we are inside. In my friend’s book, Bonjour, Happiness, Jamie Cat Callan talks about dressing up and having fun with clothes – even if your only going to the grocery store or the coffee shop. Put on a little lip gloss and comb your hair. You do make a statement. People are watching. You make a different statement by wearing gray sweatpants and no makeup. Again, does that really change who you are inside? I know. You want to quickly yell out “No! It doesn’t!”
Don’t answer so fast. Stop and think. Don’t the things we do everyday form who we are inside? Doesn’t the image we see in the mirror every morning before we leave the house reinforce who we are inside? That image tells us we are beautiful and incredibly confident and are going out to conquer the world or it tells us we are depressed and don’t care about anything and just don’t have the energy to do anything about it. If you’re told any message over and over, everyday, it does change who you are inside over time.
When I retired I experienced this. After a few months, I realized I didn’t need stylish clothes anymore. I found myself wearing yoga clothes everyday, everywhere. Then I found my self thinking, “Oh why bother with makeup? I’m going to the store for five minutes”. After about eight months I started feeling sad about the woman in the mirror. I started not caring about how the house looked, because, after all who was here to see it but me? I started feeling like there’s no point to most of my days, etc. You can see where this is headed.
Then, one day, I had a conversation with that woman in the mirror. I told her she doesn’t have to wear yoga clothes. She can go out and have fun developing a new style for a new life (even though it still involved a lot of black leggings). I told her to clean up her space and put that makeup on before leaving the house. Thank God she listened.
So, yes, makeup does have the power to change who we are both inside and out. The important thing is to realize the power of that power and use it in a positive way, to enhance our lives and wear it to inspire self-confidence, not to cover up who we are, or because we care so much about what others think of us.
I’m glad the ladies of The Talk chose to bare it all in their opening show. It gave me a boost to revive and play with my fall wardrobe – and maybe go out and get some new makeup.
And so, as another day goes by, Katie Couric’s new talk show is on now, Pink is on Ellen today, I love the new season openers of daytime tv, and…I have written.
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