I don’t know what to say. I feel like the older I get the more I find out how cruel and how unequal the world is. I feel as though I no longer look at the world with my child-like perspective( says the 17 year old :’) ).
I understand that there are more important things in the world than make-up such as , poverty,homelessness, war ,to name a few. I wish the world could be fair and equal and that somehow I could provide food for all the starving and homes for all the homeless. I know that there are charities that do amazing work, and I just want to put it out there that I am aware that there are bigger problems than make-up.
For me however make-up and fashion along with this blog, are hobbies for me, things that I enjoy doing, they provide me with happiness, I want to do as much I can to make me happy. Recently make-up has been some what of a stress for me. I don’t know why I never thought of this before but I find it so strange that I never fully came to terms with what animal testing was. When buying my first make-up at around 13 I can’t really believe that for around 5 years I have been purchasing products that may or may not have been tested on animals. From my perspective this feels like a massive moral blind spot in the beauty world. It makes no sense to me why I would ever buy something that has harmed or killed an animal. I feel fortunate that I have come to this realization as a young person. Don’t be fooled by the pretty packaging, like I know I have been.
Sorry for bringing a downer on things so far, but this is why I need your help.
I want you to help me be cruelty free!
My recent despair regarding make-up has been replaced with my hope that I can make a difference, by not doing reviews on products that are owned by brands that carry out animal testing(previous promises for reviews on products who’s company does animal testing will now not be happening) . I can make a difference in my own life and I can begin enjoying make-up again.
As most people my age would know, the budget of a 17 year old school goer is pretty much non existent except around Christmas’ or Birthdays. As for my make-up that is not cruelty free, at the moment I’m going to reduce it bit by bit. I’m going to use up what I have and give some pieces away.
Along with make-up, fashion is something I also love, recently I am almost afraid to buy any new clothing. I am becoming more aware of where my clothes come from. A teacher in my school recently showed my class a video about how some brands manufacture our clothing. For many of you, this information probably is not new, but I was very upset about my lack of knowledge about things I use or wear everyday, another moral blind spot for me. Why is it that after wearing clothes my entire life that only now I learn about the terrible work conditions that some people work in, to supply clothing for me, honestly its sickening. When I was younger I remember hearing about sweatshops and thinking that they were a thing of that past and that I didn’t have to worry about it. I am clearly more naive than I thought. In the video it showed that some people who were too young to work, in my opinion, were putting clothes together, in unsuitable conditions and getting some payment that was not near substantial.
It is crazy to think that someone of my same ability or more is making clothes for me to live in, get an education in, hopefully get a well paid job in and live a happy life in. While this human gets what? Just because they were born in a different part of the world?
I need you to help me to choose clothing brands that promote and provide good working conditions for all workers and a salary that is of substance. Perhaps by not purchasing from companies who do not provide this a difference can be made.
I wish there was no grey area with items being cruelty free and with how and by whom my clothes are made.
I am aware that the dream of a fair world may seem unrealistic, but the faith I have in myself and in my generation urges me to continue to pursue the things that make me happy and do my best not to do them in a matter that can make another’s unhappy. Mother Teresa said ‘together we can do great things’ and one of my favorite quotes of all time by William Shakespeare ‘ It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves’.
Thank you to all the people who strive to achieve a fair world. I am going to attempt to do so in my own little world of what keeps me happy.
I am now currently researching clothing/make-up brands that provide what I want to achieve.This is my first step in saying I want to make a difference. Please comment any websites that provide good trustworthy information below about cruelty-free make-up brands and about clothing brands that do not use sweatshops or anything that creates a similar atmosphere. Also please be aware that I know I will make mistakes, so please be forgiving.
Thank you to everyone who has made it this far down the post :’) and let me know what you think.
Have a wonderful day ! 😀
Much love,
Laura x
littlemisslaur 