I had no idea the comic I posted yesterday would incite such heated debate across the various sites it was posted on. I just wanted to make a silly, observational comic that would make some women say, “Yup, I’ve experienced this.” It sparked a slew of commentary about whether or not women “should” wear makeup. This was never my intent, but was very interesting to watch unfold.

I’m totally baffled by the hate mail and negative comments I received accusing me of being misogynistic and sending the message that women aren’t beautiful without makeup. (Seriously, did they actually read it?) I’d like to note that I didn’t portray the person speaking to the girl in the comic because I have heard those comments (such as “Are you sick?” to someone sans foundation and eyeliner) from both men and women, though more males, in my experience, seem to be oblivious to the presence of makeup. I cake on the foundation, yet I’ve had more than one guy look at me in confusion and wonder as he watched me put on my makeup and ask, “Wait, you put that stuff on your face every day?”

Surprisingly, the vast majority of comments judging women for wearing makeup were made by other women. Insulting other women for ‘hiding behind a mask’ and ‘covering their natural beauty’ does not make you the better person. If you call yourself a feminist you should support ALL choices made by other women – not just the ones you think are acceptable. Whether it’s being a stay-at-home mom, a model, or a sex worker, or getting breast implants, or even (gasp) being a woman of color who dares to straighten her hair – support ALL women and their ability to make these choices. To not allow women to make their own choices without shaming them or accusing them of being oppressed because you don’t view it as the “correct” choice, or the “most feminist” choice is not right.

I wear makeup because it’s fun to apply – I truly enjoy the ritual of doing my eye makeup and experimenting with colors and techniques. It brings me just as much pleasure as drawing, painting or sewing. We all decorate our bodies with clothing and jewelry. If I wear elaborate clothing that otherwise has no function, does that make me “insecure” too? I’m not “wasting my money to appeal to men and conform to beauty standards.” I don’t watch makeup tutorials on YouTube because I hate myself and I’m desperate to change my appearance. I don’t go buckwild in Sephora because I’m anxious to cover my face. I buy and use makeup because I LOVE it and I express myself with it.

If your daily makeup routine rivals Kardashian standards, more power to you! If you only wear tinted moisturizer and chapstick, that’s cool too! If you’ve never worn a speck of makeup in your life, great! Let’s not get our proverbial panties in a twist over some damn eyeliner. Now if only people could tell the difference between natural, neutral makeup and a squeaky clean face…