Feminist Makeup

I usually get one post in during finals or midterms. Shocking.

I’m a feminist and I like makeup. I’m simply tired of having to defend my choice to wear makeup on an almost daily basis. It doesn’t make me a bad person, feminist, woman or anything else. It means I like glitter and pops of color.

Argument #1: Makeup is bad because it means you aren’t confident with yourself.

To me, makeup is empowering. Before I started birth control and a daily gel, I suffered from acne as many teens do. It has left a few scars and I still have the occasional blemish come up. When I use some concealer to cover up these blemishes or scars, it does not mean I’m not confident with myself, it means I’m tired of having acne control over me any longer. When I put concealer over a scar, it reminds me that I’m no longer that eleven year old girl embarrassed by a pimple. I remind myself I’m a happy, successful young woman who likes the way she looks. That pimple no longer has power over me.

Argument #2: Makeup is trying to change who you are on the outside.

Makeup is not about changing who you are but embracing and enhancing who you are on the outside. I love using blush to highlight my cheekbones with pretty shades that fit the season. One of my favorite features of myself is my eyes. I get the shape and color from my dads family and I have fun finding ways to show them off. I’ve found using brown eyeliner really brings out the richness of my eye color. It’s not about hiding who I am but loving who I am.

Argument #3: Makeup is a waste of time and money.

Wow, that’s a bold statement. Can’t I say this about any hobby? It’s okay to blow money on sports events, clothes or night clubs, but suddenly my hobby is worse than others? It’s a hobby. If it takes over your entire life, then yes, makeup is probably an unhealthy aspect of your life. But this goes for any hobby. I save up for more expensive makeup and ask for it for my birthday or other holidays. Believe me, I could spend ridculous amounts on makeup but I could also spend ridiculous amounts of money at the book store. And really, it does not take that much time. My hair and makeup usually take about twenty minutes in the morning. I don’t do this everyday, mostly on school days, but I enjoy looking nicer for class. I think it sets a good tone for the day.

The gist of this all is that makeup is fun. I like watching tv shows and noticing how an actress’s makeup is done and trying to follow that. I noticed on Forever how well Alana De La Garza’s cheek bones were highlighted through her blush so I tried to focus on how the blush had been applied and the shade of it. I love cosplaying and part of it is makeup. When I put on that red lipstick for my Peggy Carter cosplay, I feel powerful and beautiful. When I put on more subdued makeup with darker shades, I feel Jordan McKee’s brooding persona she tries to put on. Makeup helps me embody these characters.

I like the way makeup makes me feel. It gives me control of myself and lets me decide who I want to be that day. Telling women wearing makeup makes you a bad feminist is one of the most unfeminist things I  can think of. Feminism is not about shaming others in how they want to express themselves. I’m having fun and putting some glitter on my face. Sue me.

My Name, My Choice

For someone who has never had a boyfriend, I think about what it would like to be married a lot. If anyone is wondering, I’ve decided to get married in Balboa park and have a cosplay wedding reception or rehearsal. One of the things I think of often is the decision to change my name. Yes, fellow feminist, I am most likely going to take my husband’s name when I marry. I’ve decided to write this post because there is mainly one reason I’ve thought to keep my name and the recent realization that reason is an awful one.

One reason I’ve heard I should keep my name is that by taking my husband’s name, I’m symbolically becoming my husband’s property. Yeah, I’m just not buying that idea. If you’re marrying someone who you think could ever see you as their property, then you should rethink that relationship. His property? No, I see it as becoming his family.

Another reason I’ve heard I should keep my name is that I could hyphenate my name with my husband’s. Look, my name is already five letters long. If I marry someone with another five letter name, my name is not going to fit on my uniform. Also, many people I knew growing up with a hyphenated last name hated it because it made their name so long. They could never fit it in the spaces on standardized tests.

I’ve also heard I could just keep my last name and my husband could have his, which would be fine if I was not planning on having children. Like I said before, having the same last name of my husband is about being a family to me. I want to have the same last name as my children and husband. Sue me.

Okay, now I’m sure you’ve been thinking, “your husband could take your name.” And yes, that is certainly a possibility I will discuss with my potential husband. There’s two reasons I do not see this happening. The first is that my potential husband has probably always imagined his wife taking his name and is probably important to him. Since keeping my name is not really all that important to me, I don’t see why I don’t just take his name.

The only reason I have ever seen myself not taking my husband’s name or having my husband taking my name is about my culture. When I look in the mirror, I see a hispanic young woman. To many, I just look like a white young woman. My name is one of the few ways I can signify to the outside world I am Mexican.

And that is the reason that can not be the deciding factor for keeping my name. I can not make life decisions based off what others think of me. I can not take my cultural self worth from others. I know I’m Mexican. I know that is part of my life and will always be Mexican. My name has nothing to do with any of that.

Breakfast tacos are a more common breakfast in my house than pancakes. I have been told to get my chanclas more than I can count. I grew up singing along to Selena. I have more family on my dad’s side than I could ever comprehend.

I’m sorry I’m tired of getting my Pandora ads in Spanish just because of my last name. I’m sorry I’m tired of getting junk mail in Spanish just because of my last name. I’m sorry I have to have the “I don’t speak Spanish” conversation with someone every time they see my last name and make assumptions about my language abilities. Because as much as losing my last name means I will be losing an indicator I am hispanic disappoints me, it also kind of excites me. I feel as if I get this blank slate everyone else gets to start off on.

Ultimately, I do not know what will happen to my last name. It will be a conversation that will be between my husband and I, and no one else gets any input. It doesn't make me a bad feminist or a bad Mexican. It means I’m tired of those stupid Pandora ads in a language I don’t understand.