Before I became a beauty editor, I worked in advertising at Men's Health Magazine, a male-dominated publication (shocker, I know). While working as an assistant to get my foot in the door, I pursued freelance writing tirelessly to build as many clips as possible so that I could one day fulfill my dream of working in beauty editorial.

It was while working at the lad mag that I received my first beauty assignment for a national publication -- and it was a doozy. At least at the time I thought it was. The task was to wear zero makeup for two full weeks. Initially, I was incredibly nervous to go makeup-less when I'd been wearing primer, foundation, bronzer, blush, eye shadow and mascara since I was 14, but then I remembered that I wanted to get out of my comfort zone as much as possible to grow as a writer, so I accepted the assignment. During those two long weeks sans makeup, I was asked if I was sick, upset, on my period, if my boyfriend had broken up with me or if someone died. While I said no to all of those things, I refused to give an explanation as to why I looked different than they were used to seeing me because it got me to thinking...

Image via womenshealthmag.com

This thought went through my head multiple times during my stint without makeup. As I navigated my days hoping my eyes didn't look too puny without mascara or that my naturally red-tinted skin wasn't flaring up too much (things that I had been conditioned to think were unattractive), I couldn't help but wonder how guys can get away so confidently without wearing a single touch of color-correcting concealer or even a touch of mascara. And then as I sat scrolling through Pinterest doing research for an assignment, my answer came to me in the form of a pretty little floral quote box: "Because society hasn't told boys they look bad without it."

Image via Pinterest

After I'd hit send on my final write-up for Women's Health, I told my bosses why I had looked like "something was off" for the prior two weeks. And in that moment, and many after where I'd told other men and women, boys and girls, what I had done in the name of journalism, I made a choice that I was going to try my hardest to no longer give society the power to make me feel bad about my personal beauty choices. It just no longer served me.

I didn't like that guys were subject to different standards and I especially didn't like that I was being called brave for going makeup-free. Moving to NYC by myself on a budget when I didn't know anybody, that was brave. Pushing myself to grow past emotional trauma, that was brave. Hell, walking down a hallway in the dark, for me, that's brave. But, going a day without makeup? Nope, not brave. So from that point on, I chose to never feel obligated to wear it again. Not to the grocery store or to work; not out to the bar or to visit my friends from home after being gone for months. Instead of feeling like I needed to wear makeup, I finally learned what it was like to prime and set only when I felt like it. And, as silly as it may seem, that was liberating.

Image courtesy Rebecca Norris

Like many women my age, and, if we're being honest, many girls in general, I constantly find myself noticing, analyzing and judging my appearance over other more important, often internal characteristics, based on living in a world that's so focused on outer beauty. Despite how many people claim that beauty is on the inside or how many brands promise to stop publishing overly retouched images, in a world full of virtually flawless Instagram models that are just a scroll away from launching you into a social media rabbit hole of comparison, loving and embracing yourself for who you truly are underneath all your favorite makeup can be a challenge. Before you know it, your aimless scrolling during your morning commute subconsciously launches you into feeling like you're not as pretty, and maybe as a result, not as worthy. But why? If society doesn't make men feel this way, why should women have to? Luckily for me, my breakthrough assignment and becoming a beauty editor made me realize it shouldn't be this way. I'm hoping this article can help you realize the same.

Images via Instagram

I have always been, and will always be, the girl who loves Too Faced's Melted Fuchsia Lipstick, a glazed-donut-like cheekbone glow, swatching the latest makeup launches and attempting to recreate celebrities' red carpet makeup looks. But, after being forced out of my comfort zone into a world of makeup-less living, I will never feel required to wear it again.

If that sounds farfetched for your life, consider this. As a beauty editor, I get to attend events, go behind the scenes, talk with makeup artists about the perfect no-makeup makeup technique and write stories on all the latest and greatest products, tips, tricks and trends to permeate the industry. While it seems glamorous on the outside, and admittedly it is at times, it also gives me the eye-opening opportunity to see models before they're professionally dolled up, to interact with Instagram influencers before they complete a full-faced tutorial, to experience the personalities that underlie the outer surfaces that are so widely double-tapped on Instagram and to discover just how much makeup goes into creating the beautiful faces that we've come to believe are the gold standard.

It truly is a blessing because the moment you recognize that nearly nobody looks exactly like they do on social media and that a person's personality and interests play a big role into how beauty is perceived in real-life encounters, a lot of self-conscious walls come crumbling down and, slowly but surely, in the midst of gorgeous girls, you learn to love yourself for who you are both inside and out.

So, while you may not be a beauty editor or even a writer, maybe you'd be willing to take on a little assignment. And if you are, I want you to put down your Beautyblender, set aside your highlighter and take a peek in the mirror. Babe, you're gorgeous just the way you are. Go show the world that you know it.

Image courtesy Rebecca Norris