As I shared last week, April is the NINTH anniversary of Frugalwoods! To rejoice, I’m typing down reminiscence lane with reflections on a few of my most influential previous posts. 9 years is a very long time to do something and I’m curious to see if I agree with my previous self or if my ideas have modified within the intervening years.
Outdated Me vs. Present Me: A Showdown
The primary put up I need to mirror on was an actual zinger when it got here out and generated fairly a little bit of controversy and dialogue (288 feedback!). Revealed July 27, 2015, it’s my oft-cited “Less Makeup, More Confidence: My Frugal Beauty Manifesto.“
After I wrote this, I used to be 31 and didn’t have any children. Re-reading it now–at 39 with two younger youngsters–my ideas have modified. To begin with, the writing is unhealthy. It’s painful to take a look at one thing you thought was AMAZING 8 years in the past and understand it’s MEDIOCRE AT BEST. I used to be nonetheless discovering my voice, I hadn’t but learn “The Art of Memoir” and it exhibits. Transferring on…
I opened this piece with:
I’ve stopped carrying make-up solely. Effectively virtually solely–I nonetheless don mascara and the occasional lip gloss, however in any other case, my face is make-up free
True or False in 2023?
Principally true. Since adopting a pixie cut in 2021 (with no plans to return to lengthy hair), I discover myself placing on eye make-up (liner, shadow and mascara) for out-of-the-house and video name excursions. With out eye make-up and hair merchandise, I appear like a younger Justin Bieber. Not in a sizzling approach.
Frugalwoods Household Easter Photograph 2023 (taken this previous Sunday)
I nonetheless don’t put on any on-the-face make-up as a result of I can’t stand the way in which it feels on my pores and skin and it all the time makes me get away. I wore some on-the-face make-up for the wedding I went to in February and it was itchy. It did look good with my fire-engine purple lipstick from Walgreens, however not one thing I’m going to do on the common.
Outcome: principally true, with me truly carrying extra eye make-up now than in 2015.
Subsequent I wrote:
I cringe once I consider simply how a lot of these two valuable assets–money and time–I wasted on one thing as insignificant as my bodily look. My devotion to how I look was spurred on in equal components by insecurity and the pressures that our tradition mercilessly levies on ladies to succeed in more and more unattainable ranges of perfection.
I principally agree with myself right here. I used to be/am insecure and our tradition is certainly cruel to ladies in nearly each approach potential (and appears to search out new methods on a regular basis!).
→Nevertheless, I disagree with myself that bodily look is “insignificant.”
Sadly, I feel it’s fairly darn vital for most individuals after they’re attempting to get a job, preserve a job, discover a companion, command respect, not be harassed/bullied for his or her id or look and… ya know, be an individual on this planet. I feel it’s supremely privileged to deign bodily look as insignificant as a result of for many individuals, it’s an important determinant of their means to maneuver up in socioeconomic class/standing, advance of their careers, discover a companion, specific their gender id, and so on.
Me + Frugal Hound the day I began Frugalwoods
I’d like for bodily look to be “insignificant,” however that’s one thing solely a conventionally enticing particular person can say. It’s type of like when a wealthy particular person tells you that cash doesn’t matter. Should you’re scrambling to pay hire and feed your children, then YEAH cash issues.
I can, nevertheless, relate to my previous self and my nascent subjugation of my look. I’d spent shut to fifteen years at that time hyper-focused on my look and I keep in mind on the time feeling that I wanted to do an entire detox. Similar to the “lean Frugalwoods years” I outlined in this post, I wanted to return to zero earlier than I may discover tenable center floor.
Outcome: I agree that I wasted a variety of time worrying about my look, I agree that magnificence requirements are unattainable and serve to make individuals insecure. I disagree that look is insignificant. I feel the nuance right here is that it’s vital in lots of cultural contexts; however each day, every particular person can select to relegate or amplify its significance relying on what they’re doing that day.
The Privilege Of Standard Attractiveness
One other factor I missed in 2015 was the truth that by not carrying make-up, I used to be placing myself just one commonplace deviation away from society’s typical magnificence requirements of: white, skinny, tall, cisgender, and heterosexual. I used to be nonetheless all of these different issues. Me not carrying make-up wasn’t going to begin a revolution. However once more, it was revolutionary for me as a person and my conception of my self-worth.
→It’s fascinating now–with the advantage of hindsight–to nestle my private expertise throughout the broader societal context of magnificence expectations.
Subsequent We Get pleasure from 5 Paragraphs on Zits:
With our first child, Kidwoods, in 2017
I’d say that is extra paragraphs than anybody needs to examine zits. Count on perhaps dermatologists. Shout out to my dermatologist readers–this one’s for you!!! The zits state of affairs cleared up as soon as I ended carrying on-the-face make-up and went by the hormones of birthing and breastfeeding two youngsters. Professional tip: when you endure from zits, clear it up by the one bizarre trick of being pregnant and breastfeeding! Uncomfortable side effects embody: you now have youngsters. Congratulations!
In all seriousness, I’m completely satisfied my zits’s gone because it did plague me from age 13 to age 34, which looks as if an excessively very long time for zits to plague an individual…
Outcome: I agree, zits stinks! It’s fascinating to take a look at previous pictures of my acne-covered pores and skin and understand how fortunate I’m to not have it. It’s humorous how shortly I forgot how a lot I hated that zits.
→As quickly my zits disappeared, I began specializing in a unique situation: burgeoning wrinkles… If I permit myself to go down that street, I’ll by no means be content material with my look. I’ll all the time discover one thing else to fret about or dislike.
Then I Mentioned:
I decreased the period of time I spend preparing every day and slowly, I eradicated magnificence merchandise and regimens from my life. As every new routine fell by the wayside, an fascinating factor occurred: I started to love myself extra. Gone was the self-inflicted distress of pinching fats and scanning my pores and skin for breakouts. It was changed by a newfound sense of confidence, delight, and integrity about who I’m as an individual–and notably, I’ve found I’m not a problematic bag of beauty points.
…..and with each children in 2019!
Okay yeah, I principally agree with this. By way of reducing my getting-ready time, I feel it could be extra correct to say I’ve finished a U graph of preparing. A lopsided U, which fairly carefully follows the define of:
Pre-Frugalwoods Hedonistic heyday→Lean Frugalwoods→Upkeep Part Frugalwoods
Hedonistic Heyday (the spendy years): included an in depth magnificence/preparing routine. Every part was finished. All of the make-up. Nails, hairspray, fragrance. Identify a chemical; I used to be placing it on myself.
Lean Frugalwoods (the uber frugal years): nothing in any respect, count on perhaps some mascara. No nails, no hair merchandise, hair cuts finished by my husband, no new garments, not showering each day with a view to save water and cleaning soap.
Present Frugalwoods Upkeep Part: completely satisfied center floor! I really feel like I’ve settled at a sustainable center spot, however I’m additionally not deluded into considering this’ll by no means change. That’s what being virtually 40 has taught me: at any time when I feel one thing’s set for all times, it adjustments. I’m much more snug with uncertainty now that I’ve confirmed my means to adapt and flex.
Right here’s my present magnificence routine:
- Haircuts at an costly salon each 3-5 months to keep up my pixie:
- I’ve my stylist minimize it fairly brief to permit extra time between cuts.
- I did, nevertheless, go too far final 12 months once I had her shave the again of my head. Whereas this enabled me to go 7 months earlier than my subsequent minimize, I didn’t like the excitement–it appears to be like so cute on different individuals, however simply wasn’t for me.
- Good hair merchandise used each day (except we’re snowboarding):
- Good thing about brief hair: I exploit little or no every day!
- Eye make-up: if I’m going to see individuals on display or in actual life (except we’re snowboarding):
- To fight my Justin Bieber look
- Weekly: tweeze and trim wild eyebrows myself
- Garments: jewellery, a costume, a cardigan and leggings (except we’re snowboarding):
Sometimes:
- Paint my very own nails (perhaps quarterly?)
- Put on on-the-face make-up (perhaps twice a 12 months)
- Purchase new garments (varies; I’d say in all probability quarterly)
And Now, A Part on Criticizing One’s Personal Self
Again in 2015 I wrote:
It was truly Mr. Frugalwoods who took me to job about my behavior of self-berating mirror-gazing. He identified that once I criticize my determine, I’m projecting negativity onto everybody round me.
Me and my ladies in 2019
This stays top-of-the-line interventions by my husband to this point. If different individuals can hear you, you’re not simply criticizing your self or “speaking to your self.” You’re amplifying society’s objectifications and judgements for everybody round you. I’m tremendous pleased with myself that I’ve stopped criticizing my physique, my look, my garments. Out loud, not less than. The interior monologue may all the time use extra work. However on the very least, I’m grateful I’m in a position to undertaking and mannequin confidence for my daughters.
The Subsequent Part is titled: “Deal with Well being, Not Superficiality”
I can see what I used to be attempting to do on this part however it comes throughout kinda preachy:
Quite than losing time on efforts that yield no intrinsic dividends (like carrying make-up or blow drying my hair), my focus has shifted to substantive, nourishing, and enriching actions. The hunt of well being turned my outlet for the way I take into consideration my physique and the way I understand myself.
A lot of my self-worth was wrapped up within the frivolity of my look and as soon as I set that apart, I had a wealth of vitality to pour into extra fulfilling and significant pursuits. Therefore, I’m not advocating whole disavowal of caring for oneself, quite, I now focus on issues that make me really feel good–not simply on issues that make me look good.
I invested this displaced vitality into eating healthy foods and exercising. I added muscle, I misplaced fats. I take my nutritional vitamins. Humorous how that works–as quickly as I ended exerting my consideration in direction of the superficial, I began doing higher issues for my physique.
Mountaineering with the ladies in 2020
This tone rubs me the mistaken approach. Sure, I agree that train/motion is sweet, however I appear to be implying that it’s a must to surrender worrying about your exterior look with a view to be more healthy, which I don’t agree with. An individual can like to put on make-up AND take pleasure in doing nourishing issues. I feel I oversimplified the difficult relationship all of us have with our our bodies and our appearances. However, it’s arduous to unpack and metabolize all of that nuance if you’re in the course of figuring it out for your self. I don’t assume I may’ve written this any in a different way eight years in the past. I used to be within the early levels of this life transformation and I needed to swing from one excessive to the opposite. I used to be a pendulum ready to search out its middle.
Sadly, I feel I used to be 100% appropriate within the part titled: “Entrepreneurs Need Ladies To Really feel Badly About Themselves”
It begins in adolescence with zits and migrates all the way in which to wrinkles and gray hair. On this approach, producers preserve ladies as rapt customers for his or her total adults lives.
My edit now could be so as to add “ladies and women-identifying individuals and likewise simply all individuals all over the place.” I don’t disagree with this and it’s nonetheless one thing I take into consideration rather a lot.
However then I ruined it by saying:
I don’t must spend cash so as to be ok with myself or to be stunning.
I perceive the basis of what I used to be attempting to say, however I feel that is an oversimplification. I admire that I used to be divorcing myself from the patron carousel of magnificence merchandise, however once more, there was a center floor I hadn’t but explored.
Do I must spend $1,000 a month on skincare merchandise to really feel stunning? No. Do I select to spend $82 on a haircut a number of instances a 12 months to really feel stunning? Completely.
Halloween 2022
Okay truly, I stated it fairly effectively just a few paragraphs later:
I feel it’s potential to strike a stability between disavowing our shopper tradition’s fixed stream of negativity in direction of ladies’s our bodies and an entire absence of caring for one’s look.
Okay, not unhealthy, previous me. That’s fairly good!
Isn’t this, like, an excellent frivolous factor to jot down about?
Sure and likewise no. Prefer it or not (I principally not prefer it), we’re all swimming in culture-infested waters. We’re all topic to a pursuit of perfection bought to us day by day. And regardless of desirous about it, writing about it and re-writing about it, I nonetheless get caught obsessing about my look. I not too long ago purchased a hoop mild so I’d look higher on video calls. I’m not immune to those societal expectations and pressures. I don’t assume it’ll ever be potential for me to utterly ignore “magnificence” in all its types, however I don’t assume I need to, both.
Acknowledging that I can’t ever absolutely “clear up” that is in all probability one of the best, most sincere factor I can do for myself. I appeared to assume I needed to utterly resolve my emotions round it again in 2015; as evidenced by my writing:
I’m a a lot happier and safer particular person now that I’ve dismissed the almighty import of outward look in my life.
I feel I’ve decreased its significance in my life. However dismissed? I don’t assume that’ll ever be potential for me. Then I doubled down and stated:
I feel it’d be extra correct to say “I don’t care as a lot when individuals choose me. Though it nonetheless hurts as a result of I’ve emotions am not, in truth, an automaton or a boulder.”
Current Day: What I Battle With Now
Lunch date with my littlest Littlewoods
I might like to inform you that I’ve by no means thought of getting botox, however that may be a lie. I haven’t gotten it and I probably received’t, however each time I hear from a recent that they’re getting it (most not too long ago Nora McInerny from Terrible, Thanks For Asking who is strictly the identical age as me), I’m like, “rattling, is that what we’re all doing as we glide into our 40s???” It’s arduous to not marvel if I’m lacking out by not doing it.
I’ve additionally entered a perpetual tug of conflict between my retinol wrinkle-prevention cream and my generic walmart moisturizer. If I exploit the retinol stuff an excessive amount of, my pores and skin will get dry and purple. Then I declare I’m by no means utilizing it once more and I am going again to my moisturizer. Per week later, I discover all of the wrinkles round my eyes and dig the retinol cream out of the again of the cupboard. Sooooo, yeah…
Is there something WRONG with my wrinkles? Do they make me a BAD particular person? Do they make me UNATTRACTIVE? I’d say no to all of these, however then once more, I’m a girl on this society and I do take into consideration what different individuals take into consideration me and my wrinkles. In all probability they don’t even take into consideration my wrinkles in any respect. However perhaps they do???????? In all probability you’re now all desirous about them.
As I famous above, I used to comply with this similar obsessive course of round my zits. So I’ve swapped zits for wrinkles.
The distinction is in how I really feel about it. I don’t intensely fear about my wrinkles the way in which I did my zits.
Maybe what I’ve finished is flip down the quantity on my interior magnificence critic. That voice continues to be there, however I’m rather a lot higher at shutting it up. I don’t have the bandwidth to care as a lot as I used to and that seems like progress.
→Through the years, I’ve tried to focus extra on what I’m doing versus what I appear like.
Look will all the time be a thought bubble in my life, however I really feel extra assured and content material at 39 than I did at 31.
This nine-year retrospective undertaking received’t neatly resolve the problems I wrote about prior to now, however it does assist me interrogate my beliefs and the way they’ve–hopefully–developed through the years. In spite of everything, if we don’t change our minds about stuff over time, we’re in all probability not increasing our experiences, ideas and perceptions.
How have your ideas on magnificence requirements and look modified? What different Frugalwoods matters would really like me to revisit?
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