I've got a riddle for you. What billion-dollar industry is on the rise, addicting tens of thousands of new teenager customers each year? The side effects of its product include: premature wrinkling, acne breakouts, and depression. The answer to this million-dollar question? Make-up.
It seems harmless enough. You experimented with it often as a child, with your stash mainly coming from the box on top of your mother's dresser. How were you to know that a few years from now you wouldn't be able to fare a day without it? I hear the male counterparts guffaw at this point. They just don't understand the utter necessity of lipstick and foundation, and how without it, the most beautiful woman in the world can look washed out. It just seems like a vain obsession, right up there with shopping.
Used correctly, make-up can make you feel great. When you look good, you feel good, right? Your imperfections are hidden momentarily by a layer of pigment foreign to your own, rendering you flawless to the perception others. Make-up can open doors to anyone. Nary a woman has ventured to forego the long-established ritual before a job interview. And anchorwomen? Even Barbara Walters dons it on TV. And she looks fabulous. At her age, try to imagine if she didn't. I prefer no to. Which brings to another point. Consider this: After Monica Lewinsky's interview on 20/20, thousands of viewers called in to find out the name of the plum-colored matte lipstick that Lewinsky was sporting. (By the way, the notorious shade is designed by Club Monaco.) Call it vain if you like. Or even frivolous. But it is a downright fallacy to call it unnecessary.
Sure, natural beauties do exist. Perhaps somewhere in South America. Today's technology is revolutionary in that it has allowed the make-up industry to perfect natural looking make-up that lasts. Make-up exists in subtle forms, such as tinted lipbalm and a dual moisturizer-foundation. Unfortunately, most cost more than a pretty penny. Even some men have discovered the benefits of make-up. Case in point: few male actors bare it. Make-up wise, I mean. A few dabs of concealer and a swab of bronze, and voila! The acne has magically disappeared and the actor does no have to worry about looking washer out. A plus in the entertainment industry.
This billion-dollar industry seems to be going on strong and shows no sign of slowing down. Every society in every nation values youth, no matter which time period you travel in. Sure, beauty is only skin deep, but why no be beautiful both inside and out?