Natural Looks

Because I don't wear makeup most days, people would say my look is "natural". When I do wear make up, it's not much. I don't like how it feels on my face- all gunky and like I could scrape it off with my fingernails (if I had any to speak of). And, honestly, I just don't feel like investing the time and money into it- that's probably the biggest reason I choose the "natural" look 99% of the time.I'm lazy and cheap, and if I don't need to do it, I won't.

The other day, as my pooch and I were out for a walk (where the bulk of my thinking occurs), it dawned on me that just because I don't have makeup plastered to my face doesn't really mean I'm walking around, looking the way I was born to look. A great deal of effort goes into this tired, girl-next-door look that I'm so proudly sporting.

Let's talk eyebrows. I know personally, my eyebrows would not look the way they do if I just left them alone to flourish gloriously on my face. No, no, no sir. Without waxing and tweezing, you might think two caterpillars had chosen to nest on my forehead. And I don't mean those cute little semi-furry ones that you see everywhere in the summer. I mean fat, hairy, HUGE caterpillars that you were thrilled to find as a kid.Ones that crawled around at a slightly slower pace than those other ones I was talking about because they're just too big to go any faster. Like these:

My natural eyebrow

Can you imagine??? Two of those would take up my entire forehead. And, that, my friends, is what I looked like before an angel introduced me to the fine art of waxing. The first time I had a strip of my Berts ripped from my skin, everything looked a little bit brighter. My peripheral vision extended further than it had before, and when I looked in the mirror, I realized that I had eyelashes. It was like Christmas had come early that year.

And what about teeth...are your teeth the way they would be without braces, whitening chemicals, retainers, bleach, etc? I was born an addict, and because of that addiction, I had to endure 18 excruciating months wearing braces when I was a teenager.  I was a thumb sucker. Not only did I suck my thumb as a baby and small child, but I actually carried that habit with me to the ripe old age of nine. That's normal, right?? Anyway, as we all know, sucking your thumb leads to an overbite, and therefore sucking your thumb usually leads to large amounts of metal being glued to your teeth. And for years after, more metal (and plastic) being worn in your mouth to keep your teeth from moving back to their original state. What's sexier than when the person sharing the bed with you puts on their retainer before crawling in? Hot. But, it's something many people do to keep those pearly whites looking their best. Although I couldn't even tell you where my retainer is, and have not worn it in five years, I fear what my teeth might look like now had I never had braces:

My grade six school picture

So I've made my point, right? What we consider to be "natural" today is not exactly the way we truly look like in our untouched state. But there's one more factor I want you to think about. One that we fuss over so much and change so much, that a lot of people don't even know what theirs really looks like- HAIR. Even for men, this is a part of their looks that can't be left alone. For real, I put more effort into my hair than any other part of my body. I straighten out my frizzy curls just so I can put it in a ponytail. Even when I wear it "as is" (i.e. curly), it's loaded with product, which includes anti-frizz creams, gels, mousse, hairspray, and serums. I could be rich if I sold all of my hair products. And don't get me started on the colour of hair. A lot of people I know don't really know what colour their hair is, and if they do, they don't sport it. I could be a curly haired brunette today, and a sleek haired blonde tomorrow. It's amazing how many options we have today.

I am not writing this to slag myself or to make you, the reader, think I am just picking myself apart. I am also not fishing for compliments, as these things sometimes suggest. The point of this article is not to encourage people to change the way they look, because I honestly envy those who are just themselves, without altering anything about them. I'm all for embracing yourself and the way you are. I always thought I was like that, until it dawned on me that I look nothing like the person I really am. I am simply pointing out that there are very few people who can say they don't do anything to make themselves look a different way.

So, my question and small thought for you is: "Do you know what you would look like untouched?" Think about it...it's kind of scary. And I'm not just talking sans makeup- I mean no hair dye, hair products and appliances, tweezing and waxing, braces, teeth whiteners, padded bras, etc. Here is my self portrait of what I would look like if I just let myself be, as God made me:

The size of Bert's chest did not need to be altered to be accurate