Timidly, I opened a bottle of mascara and applied it to my lashes. I took a tissue out of its box and gently pressed it against my red lips. I was afraid, afraid the makeup would change me. But it was the change itself I was afraid of, not the bottle of mascara or the red lipstick.
Sometimes we’re afraid of transformations, of stepping out of the norm. Somehow old habits and customs give us a feeling of safety and protection. But protection against what? The outside world? Or our other side?
Makeup did become a part of my life and so did many other things. What changed in me was not because of my new habits, but because I knew what I wanted.