Kelsie Swygart is a nail tech based in Ohio who has won awards for her gorgeous designs — and she’s inadvertently become the new poster face for female empowerment after she posted this selfie on her Instagram.
The photo was originally posted as part of a makeup challenge Swygart decided to participate in. But along with the photo, the proud mom shared a powerful message.
“Most days I don’t wear any makeup at all unless I’m at work and even then it’s just brows, liner & mascara. For everyone saying ‘Too much’ or ‘Too dramatic’ etc. can suck eggs. Even if I did this full glam look every day, it would be nobody’s concern but my own. I do feel beautiful with or without makeup.”
Why is this photo so important? So much stigma has been associated with women who do makeup to enhance their beauty. Yet if someone, regardless of gender, regards makeup as something that makes them happy, then who are we to argue?
Women don’t necessarily wear makeup to hide something they’re not proud of — they wear it for other reasons, as well (and those reasons are none of our business, as Swygart points out).
The response to Swygart’s photo was HUGE. So much so, that several beauty companies have asked her to become a brand ambassador for them via social media.
" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />Kelsie Swygart“With the overwhelming amount of positive reactions I have received from my #thepowerofmakeup post, I have decided to create a makeup account on Instagram!” she said. According to her, the biggest takeaway from all this is her recently-discovered goal to empower through social media and avoid negativity.
You can follow Swygart’s previous Instagram account here, or see her brand new account here.