This month, Makefree May is encouraging Australians to go makeup free to raise funds that will help empower and educate women through the Human Kind Project.
Described as “far from a war on makeup,” the initiative recognises that makeup is a wonderful freedom of expression for many, but for some it is also a way to conceal their natural beauty.
As such, Makefree May asks participants to take a break from a “societal norm that many women participate in without question,” with an aim to combat the negative perceptions around beauty in the mainstream media.
“Makefree May is giving women the opportunity to take a step back from makeup for the month, and show young girls that it’s who they are and what they do with their lives that makes them beautiful,” Makefree May community leader, Eliza Gower said. “It also gives women the chance to take a break from their typical makeup routines and see if they feel differently about the face they were born with.”
Recoginsing that a full month without makeup might be daunting for some, Makefree May is encouraging people to challenge themselves in their own unique ways by offering the chance to simply leave one product behind, such as mascara, makeup, foundation or lipstick.
Human Kind Project founder, Jacinta McDonnell said she feels it's a "powerful initiative that can make a real difference" to the way we talk and feel about makeup, adding that "it’s about giving women the freedom to choose, question and consider why it is we use makeup, and express gratitude for the freedoms we’re afforded here in Australia, that many women in other countries are not."
Australians who want to join the movement can sign up at makefreemay.org.
