Should female anchors wear glasses? Should the crew wear high heels? When a woman works part-time, must she always wear make-up? Why does our society have a strong standard of beauty for women? Recently, society is moving forward to eliminate such unfair treatment. One of those movements is “Foundation-Free”. This word is a combination of Foundation and Free, and it is a new-coined word which literally means to be free from wearing foundation. The foundation-free trend from abroad is spreading to our country very quickly.

Beauty You Tuber Liah Yoo

Beauty You Tuber Liah Yoo posted a video on "How to go Foundation-Free". In this video, she says. "I thought that I could never dream of being Foundation-free for a long time. I always rely on foundation because of acne, pigmentation, and a slimy skin tone. I was really afraid to go outside without a foundation or BB (blemish balm) cushion. However, I changed my mind after reading the book "The Life-changing magic of Not Giving a F*uk". I decided to invest 20 minutes more to care for valuable things. When I went to the gym or when I walked my dog, I decided not to wear make up as much as I would. And surprisingly, my relationship with foundation started to change."

CWNU Department of Sociology, Sim Yu Jin

"Recently, the movement to escape ‘ornamental work’ has been taking place socially by women, and I hope this trend will spread throughout society. I used to spend almost two hours putting on make-up every time when I went to meet someone. This is because of the obsession that I should always look like a beautiful Barbie doll. This life pattern has been long-lasting, and at some point, I sank into a state of torpor, and realized that something was wrong. Because of the ornamental work, I wasn’t devoted to my studies as a student. I could not concentrate on only me because I could not remove the mask (I wore make up even though it was a hot summer). However, 'Women' s Studies' and 'Corset-free movement', which I learned in my major, gave me great courage and strength. As I realized that I could not be perfect and need not to be perfect, I became able to acknowledge myself, and my quality of life went up. Of course, I am not always makeup free. I still wear makeup on important days. However, compared to the previously the number of days of not wearing makeup has increased so I can sleep better, and I can eat breakfast. I am able to do more valuable things with the time I used to spend on makeup. I want to share my story for those who are still missing out on important things because of the social standard of beauty. We do not need to be perfect and pretty, and our natural figures are sufficiently beautiful.

How to be confident going Foundation-Free

Here we are introducing a step by step guide on how to be foundation free.

Firstly, acknowledge that no one cares. People do not care about your skin texture as much as you think. If you are judged by your appearance among acquaintances, you need to rethink these relationships.

Secondly, Do Self-Affirmation. Simply replace the phrase "How can I go Foundation-Free?" with "Why can’t I go Foundation-Free?" Then this phrase will become a resolution, "I will go Foundation-Free!". Self-suggestion continues to train the brain. At first, you will find it hard to accept yourself if you do not put foundation on your skin. Especially, since your skin texture and acne will be visible and unfamiliar. But this is a natural phenomenon. If you continue to repeat your self-affirmation, it will naturally become a habit, and soon your daily life will change.

Finally, Take your time. Take it slow and give yourself time for the change to happen. If you do makeup every day for a week, skip foundation for at least Sunday. Recently, there is an increase in the NO MAKE UP MOVEMENT on instagram. The hashtag ”#foundationfree” is at 31.1k (k: kilo, 1000), and a lot of people are using hashtags such as #foundationfreesunday. If you get used to it, you will gradually increase your foundation free days by skipping foundation on Saturdays as well as on Sundays. Later, apply foundation only on important days (meetings, important places, etc.). Replace the foundation with not a full cover, just faded down middle cover, and later a natural cover. However, your skin is more easily exposed to ultraviolet rays and external harmful elements, so it is better to apply sun cream continuously. And if you are not getting enough sleep, the skin tone looks dull skin, so a sufficient amount of sleep will help with healthy skin. If you cultivate these habits, you will make a change and will come to love your faulty skin even when you take off one layer of foundation that gave you confidence.

You can do it!

Starting from reducing the foundation and gradually moving to becoming foundation-free, everyone has a similar change. You can touch your skin naturally, and you can easily remove anything on your face. Are you still thinking 'I'm still scared of going outside without putting on foundation'? Begin with a small, minor change like using a foundation with low coverage. Some people take a month, others take a year, but once you succeed in becoming foundation-free, your skin will be healthy, and so will your self-esteem!

▲ “Honor and accept yourself” (Source : YouTube, Liah Yoo)

▲ Foundation-Free featured image (Source : holdthegluten)

By Lee Yeon-ju, reporter  rosielee@kakao.com

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