If you ever went through the middle-school phase of putting on excessive red lipstick and crazy eyeshadow that reached up to your eyebrows (hey it was a look, okay), you probably heard “remember less is more, honey,” from family members after you came confidently bolting down the stairs.
Yes, you may have looked a bit ridiculous and yes, they may have been saving you from the embarrassment of seeing people slowly turn to give you a weird look as you walked into church that Sunday morning.
But now we’re grown-ups. We can drive cars, purchase lottery tickets, some of us can even legally drink. With all of this life experience, we can now decide for ourselves what is less and what is more.
The answer to this age-old, provoking question is simple: more is more.
The phrase was made famous by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (try saying that name five times fast). At the time, he was discussing a new, modern approach to architecture during the early 1900s.
So when did it become a statement used to describe fashion and makeup?
It may just be the fact that I am not a freshman in high school anymore and I realize that no one is looking at my stained sweatpants or not-so-cute messy bun, but I now know that no one is judging what you wear. And if they are, they need to get a life.
The amount of beautiful people I have seen on this campus sporting their best outfits, their sparkliest eyeshadow and their brightest hair color is amazing. Everyone should be made to feel confident in what they think is their best look. (Compliments go a long way, so if you see someone looking cute-as-ever walking to class, tell them!!)
The world definitely needs more sparkles and glitter and color in everyday life.
As Paris Hilton, the queen of confidently-rocking-a-hot-pink-tracksuit, once said, “life is too short to blend in.”
It is especially fantabulous that celebrities today are even eliminating the dumb boundaries that were created by society on what people should and should not wear — last I checked there was no rule book on self-expression.
(Doesn’t Harry look so dreamy?!)
Next time you hear “less is more” as you confidently bolt down the stairs in shiny eyeliner, an evening gown and a bedazzled purse to family dinner, say “so what?”
So what if you want to wear bright pink eyeshadow and a sequin top to the grocery store, do it! If you want to put on a full face of makeup and wear stilettos to walk your dog because it makes you feel like a million bucks, go for it!
Wear whatever clothing and makeup makes you feel like you’re the hottest thing walking. You will absolutely ROCK IT!
You’ll be bound to get compliments too, which can definitely brighten up even the grossest of gross days.
So, give your child self’s fashion and makeup taste some slack too. We definitely had a level of confidence back then that would be much appreciated to have now.
Let’s turn “excessive” into “gorgeous” when describing our unarguably overdrawn red lipstick from all those years ago. Kylie Jenner sure took some notes from back then. Maybe we were onto something in sixth grade.