"Now that she had nothing to lose, she was free." ~ Paul Coelho
Lately there's been a random surge of well known actresses who have posted photos of themselves sans make-up. A backlash of sorts against the myriad filters available in phone apps such as Snapchat and TikTok. Filters that can create a sense of perfect skin tone, flawless eye makeup, highlights, lowlights, no lights. . . you name it. I actually worked with a woman who used so many filters on her profile photos that when it came time to go out on a date with a random person she had met online, his first response was, "You don't look like your photos."
No kidding.
me . . . with no make-up
Growing up I was pale, with dark shadows under my eyes. I had food allergies and rarely was allowed outside except during the summertime when I was at the babysitters. I was frequently under stress and my brow was furrowed. In the few younger photos I have, I actually look quite peaked. The man commented that I didn't appear to be happy in the few photos he has seen. Hmmmm . . . it was a high stress childhood living with a mother who couldn't be pleased with anything I did. . . no, I wasn't a happy child.
I've always loved make-up and playing with make-up and hair. In high school, I wanted to go through the cosmetology program my senior year. My guidance counselor nixed the idea, stating, "We need people with minds like yours in the space program!" For the record, I am not delighted and enamored with space, science, astrology, astronomy or the space program. The closest I can come to enjoying the space program is visiting the Space Center in Huntsville, AL with my son and watching the movie "Hidden Figures."
For whatever reason, the other evening, after I washed my face, I glanced in the mirror and realized I am not the pale, peaked, little girl that I used to be. I still have dark circles under my eyes, but my skin is fairly nice and even, my skin tone is good and for all intents and purposes, I look healthy. Life is still stressful, but I no longer feel the need to achieve perfection in my efforts. I am finally free to go at my own pace, doing my own thing.
Some people choose a word for the year. I chose a phrase for 2024 and that is: "Free to Be"
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