It’s initiation time in some high school sororities and clubs. In an attempt to either embarrass or teach some initiates a lesson in the less-is-more makeup approach, those girls are not allowed to wear makeup this week. For some, this was terrifying. Being seen without their usual facemask of makeup might cause classmates to realize what they really look like. For others, it was liberating. Now that people know what they look like without makeup, the pressure is off to make sure their faces are perfect every morning.
If it’d been me, I’d have been in the first group—not thrilled to be told I couldn't wear makeup. Not so much because I looked all that different without makeup, but because concealer is a close friend of mine. Acne was the source of such frustration and heartache for me in high school. I agonized over my face, lamenting the fact that other girls didn’t have to deal with it like I did. (And my acne really wasn’t that bad then, and I'm sure other girls were dealing with it as much as I was, in retrospect.) But I think that had everyone else gone without makeup too, it would have been a very freeing experience.
You get glimpses of that freedom during retreats, swimming parties, and hard-labor mission trips when girls see each other without all the typical stuff they use to project an image of perfection. Once the makeup, nice clothes, accessories, etc. are left out, it levels the playing field somewhat.
I’ve seen this happen spiritually, too. One girl takes off her mask and reveals something very real that she’s struggling with. Other girls realize that they’re not alone. One by one, the masks come down.
Authenticity is so important. Our students crave it from us, from each other, and from themselves. How are you encouraging it in your girls? Do you have a mask you need to take off yourself?
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