At some point, in order to become a healthy, well-balanced adult, you need to eventually get over any insecurities revolving around your physical appearance. Now, this does NOT mean you should stop brushing your teeth or trimming your hair. No. I’m talking about acceptance of those things you can’t change without major plastic surgery or expensive treatments, like naturally curly hair, freckles, eye color, or skin type.
It is a well known fact that I use and abuse the Internet as my own personal Therapy Soapbox. In that vein, here are a few small steps towards my becoming a healthy, well-balanced adult who accepts her physical appearance. That being said, I still feel like I should warn you–this next image could be frightening, so try not to scream, mmmkay? There is an old saying about strength to change things that need to be changed and courage to accept those that cannot be changed. I feel like part of the “accepting” phase is to at least call a spade a spade and a schnozz a schnozzz. Right? Ok, here it goes:
My face, without any makeup whatsoever. See those eyelashes? Oh, you don’t? That’s right, because they are naturally platinum blonde, which is why I am rarely seen without at least mascara, and preferably mascara & black eyeliner. See the giant gray splotches under my eyes? That’s because I never have enough sleep; I am constantly applying yellow-based concealer under my eyes to balance out the dark circles.
My nose in profile. My nose is my least favorite feature, in my opinion I think it is ultra Roman, bony, oddly shaped and just, not my fave. And, for the record, my identical twin feels similarly about her identically Roman nose. That being said, someone recently told me it was both exotic and sexy; I’m not gonna lie, that was the first nose compliment I have ever received and it may or may not have slightly altered my schnozz opinion. Apparently, I’m shallow that way.
My ears, I have this little elfish-like nub at the tope of my ear, which I have always liked. My grandpa actually uses these little nubby-thingies to tell my sister and I apart, she has the same nubs, but they are a little bit lower on her ear than mine.
A typical day’s face: Foundation and under-eye concealer (Clinique), black eye-liner, black mascara, taupe and brownish eye shadow, and a quick swish of bronzer. I don’t wear lip color, or lip gloss. The color you see is my natural color and I am generally content with chapstick.
I am okay wandering around without a stitch of make-up, protruding Roman nose and funky ear nibs. That being said, I will always have a Roman nose, funky ear nibs, white eyelashes and a few freckles. That’s just me. I’m okay with that.
May I also submit that wearing a bit of mascara, or a bit of concealer on my face does not take away from “me” in any way, shape, or form. I wear make-up, every single day. That’s just me. I’m okay with that.
*Please no comments about how I should or don’t need to worry about my nose or my ear nibs or something…I’m not looking for sympathy, I’m looking for personal acceptance of things I cannot change. I’d love to hear something you’ve come to terms with, or I’d love to hear your favorite sandwich, ya know, whatever works for you.
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My features only bug me when they don’t photograph well, which happens in almost every photograph.
Comment by Noelle 2009 September 9 @ 3:22 amI think my nose is too small for my face. Oh well. . . .
(The guy my freshman year who pointed that out? Didn’t help).
Comment by Janssen 2009 September 9 @ 4:55 amI rarely leave the house without mascara either. And when I do run around without powder/bronzer or foundation, I always feel self-concious about my imperfections. Cheers to you for putting yourself out there!
Comment by Jackie 2009 September 9 @ 5:48 amYou are so adorable. With and without makeup.
Comment by Jess 2009 September 9 @ 8:29 amSo my family is half-jewish (well except for my Mom who missed out on the genes) and if you look at my Dad, you would expect a yamaka on his head. Totally looks jewish which means he’s got a nose on him. My Mom always said if any of us get my Dad’s nose, we get a nose job. My brother got one, and just last winter I looked at my side profile at the Nordstrom fitting room and almost burst into tears! I swear I’m getting his nose! There is now a bump in the middle and if I just point the end of my nose down a bit-voila! It’s my Dad!! I’ve asked Aaron for a nose job weekly-we’ll see how that goes…
Comment by Amy 2009 September 9 @ 8:51 amHow about something that I love about my body?
My neck! I’m a fan.
Comment by Naomi 2009 September 9 @ 9:47 amYes please! Love it!
xox
Comment by heidikins 2009 September 9 @ 9:50 amMy thing that I need to come to terms with: I have a spattering of freckles across my upper lip that totally make me look like I have a mustache. However, I am hopelessly hopeless at getting foundation to ever look right. So I just walk around hoping people don’t think I have a hair problem.
It took me a LONG time to accept my high forehead but I am OK with it now!
I love the idea behind your post. thanks for being so brave!
Comment by Amy So 2009 September 9 @ 9:47 amI always order reubens at the diner.
How’s that?
Not share-y enough?
Comment by Cheeky Monkey 2009 September 9 @ 9:56 amWell, I don’t have a favorite sandwich but I’m rather fond of the Cafe Rio Pork Salad, but with the hot sauce for dressing instead of the green flecked stuff.
In the interest of full disclosure I am a bloke and read every post.
I must say that I prefer the sans makeup look though. With makeup is pretty but without is a bit more appealing. Although I’m probably not supposed to say that. So pretend that I didn’t.
Lovely weather, yes?
Comment by Chris Hansen 2009 September 9 @ 10:48 amI have an unusually strong jaw for a girl, I’ve slowly come to terms with the fact that I will always be googling “haircuts for a heart shaped face”
Comment by Sarakastic 2009 September 9 @ 10:51 amI’m not there yet but I’m getting better at it. Back when I was younger and skinnier, I used to hate my body a whole lot more than I do now that I am older and don’t even look as cute! For the first time in my life, I can finally say that if I never lose the 15 pounds that I would like to lose, that would be okay. I’d still like to lose it, of course. But if I don’t, I won’t beat myself up over it.
I’ve always loved my hair, my calves, my feet and my hands. Here’s to appreciating our bodies in all their naked glory instead of putting them down.
Comment by sparklytosingle 2009 September 9 @ 11:46 amFor the record, I think you’re a babe with or without makeup.
If you want some extra freckles, let me know. I have more than enough to spare. They always bothered me as a kid, since they made me a freak among everyone I knew, but as grew older I came to accept them. They are quite literally a part of me, and I can’t ever change it. My appearance is something I’ve always loathed, but I accept being hideous and I just live with it. Maybe in the next life, eh?
PS. Actually, in the next life I wanna be a stallion or some sort of cool-ass animal. Something different, you know?
Comment by Sov 2009 September 9 @ 12:51 pmYOU ROCK!
I used to have a fairly large mole on the left side of my nose, and it had to be removed during my freshman year of high school. Now I have a nearly quarter-inch pock mark on my nose. I have crazy blonde eyelashes, too. And a professional photographer once told me that I will always look fatter than I am because I have “humongous boobies and a wide face.”
On the plus side, though, I have amazingly high arches in my feet (great for high heels!), great teeth, and hair that allows me a lot of flexibility from day to day.
I keep meaning to do this no-makeup shot myself. Maybe this week…
Comment by abbersnail 2009 September 9 @ 3:07 pmWell, I think you’re just lovely naked. And not in any sexual way. Not at all! hahaha. I’m with you … a little eye make-up doesn’t change who I am or really the way I look drastically to the point I lose myself … but man does it give me a little boost of self confidence.
Comment by SoMi's Nilsa 2009 September 9 @ 3:48 pmum you’re quite fabulous. just so you know
and for some reason i never thought about blonde eyelashes, definitely a new one. but sort of cool and i could see why mascara is used for that though, haha.
Comment by katelin 2009 September 9 @ 4:55 pmMy opinion of myself has deteriorated the older I’ve gotten. There isn’t enough room to list all my problem areas. On occasion, I do like my hands. (I just looked down at them to check. Not today.) Some days I feel so badly about my looks that it’s hard to look in the mirror or waste any effort to put on makeup. I’m just trying to take better care of myself so nothing gets any worse. Depressing comment, but it’s just where I am now.
Comment by Leslie 2009 September 9 @ 6:03 pmI’ve come to accept that no matter how much I exercise, my hips will always be much much wider than the normal person’s and I have a very big butt.
Comment by Inna 2009 September 9 @ 8:40 pmI hate when bloggers boo-hoo about how vulnerable they are about their appearance and then show only princess-perfect pictures. Way to put it out there!
I’ve been thinking a lot about this stuff because I’m trying to look a little nicer and more grown-up. Then I have to wonder how much to invest in changing my appearance. Laser procedure to fix the pronounced bags under my eyes? Teeth whitener? Hair color? Losing weight? Taking the time to put on makeup every day? I just don’t know what to accept and what to correct.
Comment by Erin 2009 September 10 @ 9:22 amI love me a good BLT…. and everything else, well, if we added a little freckle to these pics, it would be me! (and yeah, the nose…. the nose.)
But, in other news, I wonder how many google hits you are going to get for having “naked” and “internet” in your title.
Comment by pinksuedeshoe 2009 September 10 @ 5:38 pmI love the non-makeupped you!
Comment by Larissa 2009 September 10 @ 6:33 pmDude, I changed my nose because I didn’t like it. Twice. In the last year and a half. I am a huge believer in going for it if you are not happy with it – but it is a PAIN IN THE ASS!!!!! Your nose is lovely! It’s straight and fits your face and features and I think you’re beeeaaauuuutiful! xo
Comment by "Lola" 2009 September 10 @ 7:15 pmMmmm, under-eye concealer from Clinique. Mentally noting a Nordy visit on Saturday to procure said miracle wand.
Aaaaaand I can’t change my freckles or general hobbit-likeness either. But I like freckles and I like being a hobbit so I guess it works out.
Comment by Andrea 2009 September 10 @ 9:34 pmYeah, I tried to go to a salon for eyelashing tinting and the stylist was all “Um…your lashes are already BLACK!” Interesting what we think we need and how we are nearly perfect au naturale
Comment by thecoconutdiaries 2009 September 10 @ 9:58 pmI came to accept and even like my chin scar at one point, but I’m starting to have problems with liking it again. So I’ve got to work on that, I guess. I also have completely blonde eyelashes. You know who else does? All those people in Renaissance paintings. I often wish the standards of beauty still matched up with Renaissance times, because then my body would be the ideal instead of “fat”.
I’ve always thought you were attractive, and I never thought your nose looked weird. In profile, your nose actually looks a bit like mine, and my nose is one of my favorite features. Front-on I think our noses are different, though.
Comment by Sra 2009 September 10 @ 11:16 pmOh, and I have ear nobulars, but mine are behind my ear and not visible. I always thought they were a normal part of human anatomy, but then some boyfriend or other pointed them out to me as if they were weird, and that’s when I realized that not everyone has them, though I have met others who do.
Comment by Sra 2009 September 10 @ 11:18 pmHello there, gorgeous lady! I have been trying to come to terms with the fact that I am naturally very… ahem… chesty. It’s an uphill battle, especially since I have recently taken up running. I did manage to overcome my freckle face, so maybe in time I will accept the chest as well. Here’s hoping!
Comment by nancypearlwannabe 2009 September 12 @ 4:46 pmLate comment, but I totally feel with you on the invisible eye lashes. You see, I have them too. On top of that I also have invisible eye brows. I actually had both dyed about three weeks ago, and now I don’t feel quite so colorless without makeup. I will probably keep having that done every month or so, because it does make my eyebrows look more natural than using a pencil on them. I do still use mascara but I suppose it would not be the end of the world if I didn’t (unlike before) and I don’t have to draw eyebrows on my face anymore.
Comment by Viviane 2009 September 17 @ 4:40 pmBut hey let’s look at it this way, we are lucky to have an awesome natural hair color.
What a great post! It’s taken me awhile to come to terms with my nose, which I think is on the large side, but I’ve finally realized that it’s just who I am, and I would never change it. And if anyone else doesn’t like it or think it’s cute, that’s not my problem!
I also have light eyelashes, which is annoying. And nonexistant eyebrows. But I have big eyes, too, and I like that. And decent hair. And no diseases! That I know of.
Comment by Molly 2009 September 18 @ 9:37 pm