Eeek! I'm Naked! (or at least it feels that way)

A few months ago, Nya came home and asked the question I have been dreading since the ultrasound confirmed she was a girl. The conversation went something like this:

Nya "Mom can I start wearing makeup?" (Every hair on the back of my neck was standing straight up. I felt adrenaline begin coursing through my veins, but I had to remain calm.)

Me "Nope. Why?"

Nya "Some of the girls in my class wear makeup."

Me "That's demented. You're in 2nd grade. Ask me again in 5 years."

Nya "But you wear makeup. Why can't I?"

Me "Ugh! Because I'm 32 and you're 8."

Nya "You're soo mean."

Me "I know. Besides, you don't need makeup. You're beautiful just the way you are."

O.K. so I have to admit I walked right into this one. Nya can argue better than all the lawyers in the world put together. I should have known she would come up with something like this.

Nya "You don't need makeup either. You're beautiful too." I responded by telling her that the discussion was over. She stormed off to her room muttering about hating her mom.

While I was NOT about to budge on the makeup thing, I must admit she got me thinking. Why do I feel the need to wear makeup? After some reflection, I realized she was right. (Not about wanting to wear makeup). What she was right about, is the fact that I don't need makeup.

I have not gone out in public without makeup for approximately 20+ years now. Those of you who know me best, know that I am a bit of a makeup addict. It used to take me hours to get ready for the day. By the time I was ready, the day was almost over. Now, thanks to motherhood, it takes me about 30 minutes (15 for makeup, 15 for hair). However, seven days a week at 15 minutes a day calculates to almost 2 hours a week I spend on makeup alone. Which means I'm spending roughly 8 hours a month, and 96 hours a year just applying makeup.

Realizing that I am losing out on 96 hours of valuable life in front of a mirror, coupled with the fact that I am not modeling very sensible behavior for my daughter, led me to one conclusion. If I don't want Nya to be a slave to makeup, I must set the example. I want for my daughter to have a positive self image without makeup. I also worry about the messages our young girls get from the media about beauty and body image. Check out this video by Dove. It's pretty eye opening. http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/video/beauty

Anyway, ever notice how your kids will pay perfect attention when you admit to wrong doing? I have. I also know that when Nya is really passionate about something she can become irrational. In order to have this conversation be effective, I wanted Nya thinking with her frontal lobe.

So, I walked into her room and said, "Nya, I was wrong." That got her attention. "You mean I get to wear makeup?"

"No," I responded, "I mean I am going to stop wearing makeup. (Except for church on Sunday or other special occasions)." Nya thought about it for a minute and said, "Good for you mom. You really don't need it." The conversation hasn't come up since. In the future I'm sure it will but now I'm ready. Whew!

So, the next day, true to my word, I did not put on my makeup. I had alot of errands to run, so it was difficult for me. As I walked into various stores, I was really nervous. I half expected people to run away shrieking. No one said a word. I even bumped into a friend and she said nothing. I did notice Corbin's preschool teacher stealing a few curious glances, but she didn't look scared.

I decided that the true test would be to find out what someone who loves me thought, since people outside of my family wouldn't have the nerve to say anything. When Brian came home, I was prepared for him to comment. To my suprise he said nothing. After the kids were in bed, I finally asked him about it. He responded with, "You're not wearing makeup? Huh, I couldn't tell."

Now Brian is all about saving money. So, if he thinks this is going to cut makeup costs, then he is on board. On the otherhand, he does care about appearances. So I don't think he'd let me make a fool of myself if we were say, going to a restaurant and he really thought I looked bad without makeup. However, he says he really can't tell much of a difference. He did think my eyes looked a little smaller. All in all the experience was sort of anti climatic. It has now been about 3 months that I haven't been wearing makeup.

If I had known it would be this easy, I would have done it years ago! I love how much faster it is to get ready for the day now. Also, one positive side effect that I did not anticipate, is that my self image has improved. While I don't think I look like a model or anything, I am comfortable with the way I look. In fact, putting on makeup for church has become a bit of a nusance. Perhaps one of these days I'll darken the door completely unfettered.

In the mean time, I just hope Nya doesn't get the idea that she needs to start shaving her legs. . .