I've been blessed with a mild form of rosacea that keeps my cheeks some level of pink at all times, but boy, do they turn full-on RED when something causes me to blush. Oh well. It's not a crime to have emotions, much less have them show. Maybe people wouldn't feel the need to point it out if we weren't all trying to hide insecurities and vulnerabilities all the time.
me too! usually a semi-cheerful "yeah i know! i have a medical condition called rosacea." closes it down if someone feels the need to point it out but i'm sure i get REDDER when i do that lol
As a fellow bright red faced blusher who doesn’t wear makeup, I completely resonate with the questioner. To make matters worse, I’m a hairstylist who regularly catches her reflection whilst in the midst of an all-out-blush. It’s embarrassing! I think you nailed it with this line; “blushing is the uncontrollable reaction of the uncontrolled body.” And my body isn’t controllable and that’s honestly okay with me. And the people who point it out (to the questioner) low key kinda suck! I hope she finds confidence to tell ‘em off and keep rocking her bare face!!
You masterfully intertwine such big issues in this column. It's a lot to chew on! I have been aware of my own awkwardness since early in elementary school. And it just got more awkward from there. It's painful when children feel excluded, and I haven't met many children who can simply shrug it off. It took me over 46 years to learn that I can't change who I am. But I think I know the secret to being more comfortable in my own skin: learning to laugh at and delight in my awkwardness. Most people we encounter in our lives are NOT owed an explanation, let alone a dignified response, but I haven't reached the stage where I can shut down rude comments with a look worthy of the Dowager Countess or a "Did you really just ask me [blank]?" comment. We are all works in progress! P.S. I turn beet red when I exercise or get embarrassed.
Talking about break outs as sign of being overwhelmed, I was not great at sitting with or recognizing my own feelings for a long time. I developed a bladder condition, interstitial cystitis, that was an absolute bitch, but now that it's mostly managed, it acts as a warning for me that I'm significantly overstretched. I'm getting pain? Time to cancel some stuff. Body alerts are telling us things and that's cool.
This is written wonderfully! Your response is so true and on point. I honestly have been out of the makeup game for years so I was unaware of this many types of rosy that woman are dropping big bucks on. My brain was overloading. What I hate about the whole thing, this beauty consumerism, is that women are giving away the power over their true self to big business and celebrity companies because those entities are saying we are not good enough as is. We are good enough. We're more than good enough. All of us. And I second the ruder the better for responses. If you don't advocate for you, no one else will. We must create boundaries on how people treat us. And we must be kind to ourselves. Red cheeks and all.
I've been blessed with a mild form of rosacea that keeps my cheeks some level of pink at all times, but boy, do they turn full-on RED when something causes me to blush. Oh well. It's not a crime to have emotions, much less have them show. Maybe people wouldn't feel the need to point it out if we weren't all trying to hide insecurities and vulnerabilities all the time.
me too! usually a semi-cheerful "yeah i know! i have a medical condition called rosacea." closes it down if someone feels the need to point it out but i'm sure i get REDDER when i do that lol
As a fellow bright red faced blusher who doesn’t wear makeup, I completely resonate with the questioner. To make matters worse, I’m a hairstylist who regularly catches her reflection whilst in the midst of an all-out-blush. It’s embarrassing! I think you nailed it with this line; “blushing is the uncontrollable reaction of the uncontrolled body.” And my body isn’t controllable and that’s honestly okay with me. And the people who point it out (to the questioner) low key kinda suck! I hope she finds confidence to tell ‘em off and keep rocking her bare face!!
You masterfully intertwine such big issues in this column. It's a lot to chew on! I have been aware of my own awkwardness since early in elementary school. And it just got more awkward from there. It's painful when children feel excluded, and I haven't met many children who can simply shrug it off. It took me over 46 years to learn that I can't change who I am. But I think I know the secret to being more comfortable in my own skin: learning to laugh at and delight in my awkwardness. Most people we encounter in our lives are NOT owed an explanation, let alone a dignified response, but I haven't reached the stage where I can shut down rude comments with a look worthy of the Dowager Countess or a "Did you really just ask me [blank]?" comment. We are all works in progress! P.S. I turn beet red when I exercise or get embarrassed.
Talking about break outs as sign of being overwhelmed, I was not great at sitting with or recognizing my own feelings for a long time. I developed a bladder condition, interstitial cystitis, that was an absolute bitch, but now that it's mostly managed, it acts as a warning for me that I'm significantly overstretched. I'm getting pain? Time to cancel some stuff. Body alerts are telling us things and that's cool.
This is written wonderfully! Your response is so true and on point. I honestly have been out of the makeup game for years so I was unaware of this many types of rosy that woman are dropping big bucks on. My brain was overloading. What I hate about the whole thing, this beauty consumerism, is that women are giving away the power over their true self to big business and celebrity companies because those entities are saying we are not good enough as is. We are good enough. We're more than good enough. All of us. And I second the ruder the better for responses. If you don't advocate for you, no one else will. We must create boundaries on how people treat us. And we must be kind to ourselves. Red cheeks and all.