Nine Women pose to make a statement.

The phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” signifies that beauty is perceived differently by a variety of people. Pretty self explanatory. In this day and age, beauty is defined within commercials, window shopping, magazines, movies, etc. It has become about the beautiful colored eyes with flawless hair and glowing skin. We run to the mall looking for that perfect shade of lipstick and whatever makes us look remotely close to Natalie Portman or Margot Robbie. Beautiful is perfect. No wrinkles, no pimples, no imperfections.

No one’s perfect, and today’s society tends to forget that. It’s almost is if it were shameful to walk around with a bare face, exposing our flaws to the world. 90 percent of women interviewed, stated that they feel most beautiful when they have makeup on because they feel less judged. It becomes such a sensitive topic because we put our self worth on a scale, held up by how many likes a selfie gets on Instagram, or by what others have to say about us after we’ve sat in front of a mirror for hours.

Self worth should by no means be defined by others’ perspective. Women grow up in a time where spending hundreds of dollars on beauty products is normal. Where maxing out your credit card is not that big of a deal. Models such as Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and others have set a high standard throughout the years of what the ideal woman should look like, or wished to look like.

Over the summer, Alicia Keys made the decision to go bare faced in public, even though it is uncommon for a woman to strut the red carpet or be photographed without an ounce of makeup. The world then feels the need to address such actions as brave, but is it really bravery? Why shouldn’t it be as normal as the person next to you who looks like a lightning storm is shining through their cheeks.

Women are set to such a high standard that having every hair in place and flawless makeup automatically means their life is put together. If a woman walks into the grocery store with no makeup on, we jump to the conclusion that she had no time to put on her whole routine, she’s exhausted, sick, or a mess. What if maybe she doesn’t need it?

Girls as young as the age of seven are already wearing pretend makeup, anticipating the day they can try on the real deal. These are the things that are taught to baby girls as “normal.” They learn that “normal” is to never leave your house until you cover your skin evenly with the right foundation. “Normal” is to spend hours in the mirror until you feel acceptable for others to see you. But truth is, it’s not.

It’s not “normal” for the world to have the expectation that a beautiful woman is the girl with no sunspots, no pimples, no smile lines, no blemishes, perfectly toned skin, straight teeth, and eyebrows that are sharp enough to poke someone’s eye out. It’s unrealistic.

When interviewing Sandra Jaime, she explained how makeup brings her confidence because it is the perfect way to hide her flaws. That’s the problem. We slowly begin to see some of our features as flaws instead of what makes us different. Another woman, Maricruz Rendon, stated, “When I’m not wearing makeup I have a difficult time even looking at people in the eye.”

In times like today, we must empower one another instead of trying to adjust ourselves so others can be satisfied with what they see. An example needs to be set for the next generation stating that whether you’re wearing makeup or not, acne, or have flawless skin, all are beautiful.