Lip Gloss

On a weekend day off, my then-bf and I were prancing about Stillwater, MN. He decided, as he often does, that the day should conclude with a fancy dinner.

I suddenly thought I did not look nice enough for a fancy dinner. Every once in a while, I remember that I have been told that ladies look bad, tired really, if they don’t wear makeup and style their hair. I am not too fond of wearing makeup or styling my hair, so I rarely do either. If you want to see my hair styled, you should find me on the day I get my hair cut. And if you want to see me wearing makeup, you will have to see me after I have been embalmed.

But on that night, I still had lip gloss in my purse.

After we were seated, I excused myself to the restroom. I applied a noticeable amount of lip gloss.

When I sat back down at our table, my bf asked, “What is that?”

I had been caught.

“What do you mean? It’s lip gloss.”

We laughed. He felt bad. He told me I always looked beautiful, even without makeup on.

I was embarrassed to be caught in my culturally-ingrained insecurity.