Teen actress Bianca Umali shared a post on Facebook about what she thought about wearing make up, saying that she was saddened by the fact that girls nowadays cannot live without make up. Her post, which was posted on January 16, earned 147,000 reactions and 18,000 comments. However, it also drew a lot of criticism from netizens.
Being Beautiful = No Make Up, No Filter
Her post read: “This is not to judge anyone… I noticed how make up seem so important nowadays. I honestly expect make up to be used occasionally. Not every single day. I have observed how a lot of females cannot leave their homes without putting anything on their faces. Well, yes, we all know what make up can do. And yes, make up is AMAZING. But what I’m sad about is that most of the girls I have observed are more confident about themselves WITH make up on than having LESS or NONE.”
She then talks about how each woman should always remember that she was made unique by God and then calls on each one to “flaunt that beautiful face of yours without covering anything and leaving it how it really is?” The latter part of her post challenged women who have read it to post a photo without make up and without using filters and to tag her, to show that they are “contented and confident” with their natural beauty.
Netizens React
Aside from the thousands of negative comments, there were a few that hit the issues head on. One Facebook user commented, saying that she is speaking in behalf of make up lovers. It read: “You said, respect. But why do you not respect those who like to put makeup? Think about it. You judged those who put makeup by saying, “We should be content with our natural beauty”. By that statement, you implied that makeup wearers are not content with what they have because they wear makeup. You judged people who wear makeup with that statement. As you said, people get hurt. And you hurt us.”
She also noted that what Bianca did was not in any way “spreading positivity” because it ended up “pulling other people down because you think this should be the way.” Lastly, she defended “makeup lovers” by saying that some of them “do it is a form of art, some cover their insecurites, and some destress with makeup. It’s not all because they don’t feel confident in their own skin. Please don’t make them feel guilty and take that away from them.”
Another Facebook user reminded Bianca that some people need makeup for work, that some jobs even require the use of makeup everyday. She said that this did mean that these women were not confident with their natural beauty, or they were not empowered. Her last point had to do with the freedom of enjoying the “process and art of makeup application” which is some form of “artistic freedom.” She proudly called herself as one of them. She added, “I love makeup and I don’t care if people think I look better with or without it. If I want/need to wear it, I will… if I feel like being barefaced when I’m not working, then so be it.”
Beauty Tax Debate
This reaction is not surprising, because just last week when news came out that some Congressmen were proposing to impose taxes on beauty products, that drew flak from netizens and the public as well. As a reaction, the hashtag #DontTaxMyBeauty trended on Twitter immediately after reports came out.