It's Not a Mask

If you say makeup is false advertising,

you have never spent twenty minutes

drawing a perfectly smooth line along your eye

with a precise and unblemished winged tip.

If you say makeup is false advertising,

you must be so ignorant as to think

my eyelids are truly a glittery champagne color

and my lips are stained a crimson-plum mix.

If you say makeup is false advertising,

you are insulting my self-expression.

You turn my artistic form

into a way of covering up self-hate.

My makeup is not false advertising.

My makeup is not a mask

to cover up all of my insecurities.

My makeup is an expression of who I am

and what I have to offer.

That precise line I draw on every day

shows that I am dedicated and talented.

My unnaturally colored lips and eyelids

show I am adventurous and artistic.

If you say makeup is false advertising,

you claim the products are what make me flawless

and not the skill and dedication I have

for something that I love.