The Art of Makeup and Self Expression: Depiction of One’s Self Image Through Alternative and Traditional Media

Make up has been around for the longest time in our society. It has been used for ages in helping to boost people, especially women's, level of confidence. It ranges from, foundations, concealers, eye shadows, blushes, bronzers, highlighters, and of course, who could forget the glorious and glamorous lippies. In our society today, make up has been booming with the rise of high-end and drugstore products. It has been a popular culture for the people and is currently considered as an art form, especially to us millennials.

Alongside the bloom of the art form, come with it are negative stereotypes and point of views. With the conservative past of our society and it's limited knowledge about certain subjects, people who often express themselves in a contrasting way from the traditional beliefs and manners of our society, are boxed into categories of which places them in a restrictive state that most of the time, severs their potential to be good citizens in our community. An example of this is the problem that the artist-researcher aims to address, which is the negative generalization and prejudices that people give to individuals who love make up also known as, “makeup shaming”.

The artist-researcher seeks change in this mentality of our society and aims to at least influence the way of thinking that people have towards make up loving individuals through art, helping alleviate make up shaming and promote body positivity.

During the artist-researcher’s early years, he has already been fascinated with colors, resulting in him being interested with make up as he grew older. As he got more familiar with this new fascination, he also realized just how make up shaming was prevalent in the society, viewing make up loving individuals as unhappy people. This particular social issue inspired him to pursue the study.

The artist-researcher will be executing his work as a diptych, mounted on a wooden case with a frame that has hinges in between. His choice of mediums are Make-up and Acrylic, the new and traditional medias will be applied on two 4x4 ft. Watercolor papers using the traditional paint brushes and make up brushes ranging from, fluffy kabuki brushes, foundation brushes, blending brushes, eye shadow brushes, and the like. Inside, two portraits of a girl will be found, the other one is a simple and barefaced Filipina that gives off a contented ambiance to her face and will be done in Realism. The other girl will have a full face of make up on and will be done in Expressionism as a more vibrant, confident, glamorous, and modern version of its counterpart. Also, there will be vertical mirrors attached on the isles of each panels right next to the division of the diptychThe reason for the composition of the artwork is that the artist wanted to portray a simple girl looking into a vanity mirror with contentment with herself while putting on make up. On the latter side of the vanity shows her view of herself with make up on, a different and much vibrant version, showing the transition of a simple and gleeful beauty to a more confident and glamorous appeal. Lastly, the reason for placing mirrors with the work is for it to be an instrument of reflection. For the artist knows that most people’s reflexes when faced with an object reflecting themselves almost always make them want to check themselves out/ The artist-researcher hopes for the mirror to be something where the audience can view themselves while observing the artwork and may it help them to re-access how they feel about their own self-image and confidence. For every big change starts with something small, so why not start with ourselves.

The artist composed the work in this manner because he wanted to address his message through his artwork that tackles make up shaming where in individuals who love make up are viewed and boxed as unhappy people. This is the artist's stand on body positivity about using makeup, for he believes that there are people such as the artist himself who sports make up not because they are unhappy with how they are, but because it is for the love of the art form and the different kind of self-expression that make up allows an individual to experience.

Make up and cosmetics are getting more and more prominent in our present day world. With the rise of drugstore and high end beauty products and as our generation shifts from its conservative past to the modern day expressive era, a lot of people of any gender are starting to explore the art of self-expression through make up and recreation. The growing popularity of make-up isn't really that shocking, as our times change and perspectives transition from a restricting era to a more free-expressing modern day world, art evolves along with the people. Thus, giving way for people to realize and classify make up as an art form, for like the traditional art that rose decades ago, make up is also something that has elements of color, gives structure, a new look and especially a way of expression to an individual who uses it. Make up gives people a different approach to bring out their individual personas through making their faces as canvases. It made way for new opportunities for people to explore and recreate as to how they want to present themselves in our society. The said art form gave individuals freedom to let their uniqueness shine in this world of ours where we are often expected to be just like everybody else and restrict ourselves as to what society's standard of beauty is and how it views its people especially women.

They say every good thing in the world comes with something bad, for the artist this is especially true. The booming popularity of make up as an art form in our modern day world is such an awesome opportunity for people of all genders to be able to explore, express, and recreate themselves but a long with it are the mentality, stereotypes, and negativity that evidently arises. In our society, people who think or act “out of the box” are most of the time, looked down upon especially if it is contrary to what has been done in history and tradition. Our times are slowly evolving and transitioning from its conservative past to a new era of liberation. Liberation, not in a negative sense, rather, a time where people are discovering new things every day that add up to their knowledge about certain subjects. With that in mind, it is not really shocking for individuals who love to express themselves with the art of make up to experience discrimination.

One kind of it is Make Up Shaming, it is a term for when people shame an individual for expressing or recreating him or herself through the art of makeup i. e. A lady wearing a full face of makeup on a daily basis. This is especially true in our country, with due respect to our conservative culture, this kind of mentality should really be thought through and be realized as something toxic and restricting to an individual’s freedom and right of expression. This is exactly what the artist-researcher was inspired by, he wanted to voice out his own stand about the issue of shaming individuals who love the art of makeup and boxing them as unhappy people. With all due respect, the artist-researcher acknowledges that there are people who use makeup as a way to hide their own looks or because they feel the need to be confident, but as an artist, he wants to use his artwork to advocate and voice out a part of the makeup community that feels and utilizes the art form as how he does, not because they are uncomfortable or unhappy with how they are but because they enjoy it and find the art form as something that can add to their already existing confidence and helps them to express themselves even more. For there is a saying, if one feels great, it will surely radiate and that state of confidence can actually help a person to feel good and do good which what our society really needs today.