Lipstick

I went hiking with my daughter, Elizabeth, this morning. Lipstick nor makeup seemed like appropriate attire, so we hit the trails with our delightfully nude faces. The mountains didn't seem to mind my lackluster appearance.

After our hike we were both famished, and decided Café Rio was the perfect selection for lunch. A nice gentleman standing in line struck up a conversation with us. We were simply two equal human beings without eyeliner, mascara, blush, eye shadow, or lipstick having a nice conversation together.

While eating lunch, I thought about my parents, who never remotely indicated my worth, value, or even attractiveness was contingent upon makeup. They taught me my beauty would be exemplified by the choices I made and how I treated others.

After lunch, I looked down at my phone to see a missed call from my husband—a man who has woken up next to my naked face thousands of times, yet still looks at me like I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. He's the kind of man that sees a woman's beauty beyond her face.

My point is I'm simply surrounded by so many wonderful people who see women as valuable human beings that silly comments about lipstick are rendered meaningless to me. There are so many great people who recognize that the words spoken from a woman's lips are far more important than their color. I still wear makeup whenever I feel so inclined, because I see it as a fun creative expression of individuality, but makeup doesn't define my womanhood or self-worth.

I'm glad my daughter can grow up in a world where so many other people recognize that too.