Zeitgeist - Youthful
Pastiche - Take off
Euphemism - Ethics
Iconographic - Ice cold
Androgynous - Genderless
Recapitulates - Summarize
Austerity - Plainness
Kohl - Eye make-up
Parody - Satire
Aesthetic - Artistic
Grotesque - Ugly
Profligacy - Wastefullness
Rousseaueque - Round Table

-What Women's faces are supposed to look like
-The basic theory of cosmetics is that they make
a woman beautiful
-Black paint on the eyes and red paint on the lips is so familiar it seems natural
-The author thinks red paint on the lips is a bloody gash, a visible wound
-The author believes red lipstick indicates that women's sense of security was transient

Key Words:
Femininity - Femaleness, womanliness
Beauty - Loveliness, Attractiveness, Gorgeous
Red - Crimson, Scarlet, Cherry, Ruby, Burgandy
Mouth - Lips, Jaws, Chops, Oral Cavity

The Evil of Make-up

In modern years, society can be harsh. Just the littlest event like making fun of someone can trigger insanity. In other words, societal expectation can wound. In my situation, the scenario is a little different, but still hurtful.

Like all girls, I became interested in wearing make-up at a very young age. I can remember standing in the bathroom with my mother every morning watching her every move and asking tons of questions. I think that is how I learned to put on make-up. No one ever really sat down and told me, “this is how you put on make-up.” It was just something I kind of picked up on my own.

When I was in fifth grade, around the age of ten or eleven; it was the “cool” thing to start wearing make-up. Some girls did and some girls didn’t. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I had to start wearing make-up to fit in with my friends. I was grateful that my Mom and Dad would let me wear even a “little bit.” I never thought about the girls in my class that weren’t allowed.

There is a leader in every class that every girl looks up to and listens to. The girl in my class was, of course, beautiful and all of the girls did exactly what she said. Lets call her Megan. Megan had long blonde hair, she wore the cutest outfits, and everything she did was perfect, even the way she put on her make-up. If she didn’t like you, no one else liked you either.

I can remember this quiet girl who didn’t talk to anyone, she just minded her own business. Lets call her Amy. Amy was pretty, but she didn’t wear make-up and sometimes her clothes didn’t match. Well, one day, Megan decides she wants to pick on someone. Guess who she picked? Amy. So every other girl in the class (including me) started picking on her and calling her names because she didn’t wear make-up or her shoe was untied. Just dumb little things that kids make a big deal out of. I felt horrible about it, but I didn’t have the nerve to stand up to Megan. So this continued through the years (not just about make-up) and eventually I think she moved or actually I really don’t remember what happened to Amy.

I remember feeling bad about what was going on and happening, but powerless to do anything. So what if I did stand up to Megan? She and every other girl would just make fun of me too. I certainly didn’t want that. All I wanted was to be like everyone else. But I always asked myself, “why didn’t Amy try to fit in with all of the other girls?” Maybe she just wanted to make a point.

My point is I wish I had stood up to Megan, not just for Amy, but for myself. No one should do things (like making fun of someone else) just to make another person happy. Now I feel that I am mature enough so that if I were put in the same situation again, I would do the right and responsible thing. I know I can’t change what happened, but if I could see Amy again, I would tell her how sorry I am for all of the horrible things my friends and myself did and said to her. Out of this memory, I have learned not to give in to society. Everyone should stand up for what they believe in, not what the “popular girl” believes in.