Sunday, May 14, 2006

The Case for My Parents

Here's what I posted on BeautyAddict's comment box last night:

Ah, the memories... I had always been obsessed with makeup, but it wasn't until I was in 6th grade that I started wearing the stuff. My first items of makeup were hot pink lipstick, blue liquid eyeliner, "coral" red nail polish and pressed powder - and out of the three items, my Mom only approved of the powder!

7th grade was my introduction to neutrals, foundation and eyeshadow (a friend of mine taught me how to put on the L'Oreal Couleur! Couleur! eyeshadow in a way that did not make me look clownish; another friend taught me how to get away with a "full face" so my lipstick won't make me pale) and 8th grade was the beginning of my love affair with red lipstick and black eyeliner.The irony of it all: Not only do I wear less makeup now, but when my parents come to visit me, both Mom and Dad won't let me leave the house without putting the stuff on!



A few more things about this post:

- I was born and raised Roman Catholic - and I still am - but neither my parents nor the nuns in my life ever gave me the whole drill about how Makeup is Evil. In fact, Mom told me that one of the reasons why she decided not to send me to Catholic school in Manila was because the nuns and admin at the schools had this twisted idea that making the girls "hide their light under a bushel" (theologically speaking) by wearing a hideously ugly uniform would somehow keep the girls pure and holy. Uh, no.

- Mom also believed that smoking, drinking, and drugs would decrease my value as a woman faster than any makeup ever will. And oddly enough, she was right.

- Well, okay, so my parents were never always this "cool" about things like this, but they've been very instrumental in helping me find my own way in the world - and because they've taught me how to appreciate the finer points of beauty and fashion, I've been able, in turn, to establish my own personal style. And I will be forever grateful to them for that, if anything else.

Happy Mother's Day Weekend, everybody!

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