Unit 3 project reflection

Felicity Sumner 

WRT 105

Lyndsey Weiner 

12/12/23

My Community 

For my third and final project, I wanted to do something new. Given the opportunity to make a not written “text,” I came up with the idea of a “get ready with me” or a “grwm”. In this video, I take my viewers through my daily makeup routine and discuss my relationship with the community, how I have grown into my place, and my journey to get here. The makeup community for me is a version of self-expression; I wear makeup to feel confident and bold, but also because it is fun and feminine. The prompt of this final project asked for a non-written piece of text expressing this community you are a part of but also the discourse that any individual has to face when learning about and building their relationship with their community. The discourse presents itself often in the makeup community, which is the line between confidence and insecurity. Makeup is supposed to boost confidence, and while it does boost confidence when removed, it can set a more profound feeling of insecurity than before, causing people to rely on makeup to feel confident. 

Now that I have settled into the makeup community, I have dealt with this discourse. I was introduced to makeup as a 6th grader. I looked up to the 8th graders because middle school is a developmental part of people's lives. I saw these older girls wearing mascara, looking mature and older. When I became an 8th grader, I also started to wear mascara. I soon started wearing mascara every single day. As I transitioned into high school, I explored the makeup community. I got into James Charles; I watched his videos every week until he got canceled. I liked his videos because, for him, makeup was all about being yourself and expressing yourself. Seeing a guy doing makeup and having such a large platform was also excellent. It felt inclusive and supportive. However, during my first year, I wore a small quantity of makeup daily and started feeling ugly without makeup. I would not leave the house without doing my mascara and would not be caught dead at school with no blush and mascara on. This is just an example of how the line between confidence and insecurity can be thin. 

The struggles of insecurity are internal. When doing our makeup, so many outside tell us what to do as well forces trying t. Makeup is huge in the media; people post photoshopped images of themselves on Instagram daily. I found a blog called lipstick smoothie, and young women posted her story about seeing makeup in the media. When we see these perfect photoshopped images online, we do not think, “Omg, it is photoshopped,” we think, “My omg, they are perfect. Why don't I look like them.” This blog shares a similar story: “I have struggled with insecurity in the past, and perfect social media postings have unfortunately exacerbated these negative feelings.”
Social media is an outside perspective that pressures those in the makeup community to be perfect. This blog also shares about comparing themselves to others and trying to meet their standards when, a lot of the time, those standards are unachievable. As I mentioned earlier, everyone has to deal with this sense of insecurity when indulging in the makeup community. However, it only lasts for a while. “I had to remind myself of two key things. First, people will always judge you, regardless of how good or bad you are at whatever aspect of your life. I am me, and I am enough, and that is it. Second, makeup is something that I love, and it should always be fun and never a source of stress!” This is part of her story about finding herself. Once she stopped focusing on the negative outside perspective, she could focus on herself and the positives. 

Though there is this discourse that most people have to go through, it makes the after it even better. The makeup community has a particular set of values, beliefs, attitudes, and interactional styles that everyone must adopt to be a part of the community. As a makeup member, everyone shares a love for makeup and an appreciation for the art of it and the self-expression aspect of the community. Makeup has brought me and my roommate so much closer together. I have a more extensive background with it and a longer, more elaborate routine. As we got to know each other, she mentioned wanting to improve at makeup or learn more about it. I started doing her makeup and showing her the products I had that she liked so she could get them. We share a passion for makeup because it makes us feel confident about our selves but together. Talking to someone about makeup is fun, as is talking about what we do, similar and different; it is fun to relate to someone if you use the same products or like a product and want to recommend it to a friend. It can create a joint group between two very different people. Within the community, people try to support each other and look out for each other. When people review products online and say whether they are good or bad, those reviews can benefit individuals looking to find a product that will work out for them. 

Everyone starts wearing makeup at a different age. I started as a young teenager, a tween if you must. I found a blog about a woman's journey with makeup. “Here at Faviana, we are all about empowering women; for some men and women, makeup has the power to do that. There is no rule forcing you to wear makeup, especially if you are a girl, but societal standards have shaped how people feel they should present themselves. While I have a healthier relationship with makeup now, it was not always like that”. This blog also presents the discourse of insecurity along with confidence. This woman talks about being introduced to makeup through her mother, who puts it on for work daily. She also had an older figure to look up to. She says she did not start wearing makeup until she was a teenager when her mom let her. I never had this kind of scenario; my mom does not care how I express myself. Her mom told her that makeup was for big girls after expressing interest, leading her to think makeup was very mature. When she saw girls her age wearing makeup, she thought they were extra pretty, and she could not live up to those standards. She had to experience the insecurities even before she indulged in the makeup community, which is how powerful the media is. She also watched makeup influencers online to further her knowledge about makeup. Once she developed her type of relationship with makeup, she felt happy and confident; still, the media got in the way of her self-expression. She talks about girls wanting to look natural when she likes playing with glitter. When you are in the same community as someone, but they express themselves very differently, it can be challenging; you start to compare yourself and worry they you are doing it wrong. Makeup can make your regular face feel not good enough or enhance your face with makeup.

I Love doing full face-up makeup; it is calming, confidence-boosting, and a routine. However, I have learned that I put on makeup when I want to feel extra good. I do not want to put on makeup to feel good. That is my relationship with makeup now. If I start to think my natural face is not good enough, I have crossed the line of confidence, and now I am just feeling insecure. My balance and self-expression look extra good one night a week, and I look good the rest of the week. My makeup routine has grown from putting mascara on and wearing the same mascara multiple days to a 10-step process with cream and powdered products. I got to this point by constantly doing my makeup in the mirror. I got to this point by learning that I am the same with and without makeup. I have learned, dealt with, and experienced this community through good phases and evil, and I am a confident young girl who loves putting makeup on to feel and look good. 

Works Cited 

Beilis, Carolina. “How Makeup Made Me Feel Insecure.” LipstickSmoothie, LipstickSmoothie, 20 July 2023, www.lipsticksmoothie.com/blogs/blog/how-makeup-made-feel-me-insecure. 

“My Journey with Makeup.” Faviana International Inc., faviana.com/blogs/glam-gowns/my-journey-with-makeup. I was accessed on 12 Dec. 2023.