Senior Lindsey McCumber drags herself out of bed at 5:30 in the morning to begin her morning ritual of getting ready for school in time to leave at 7:00. She takes a shower, puts on her uniform, and gets herself ready for the day. Why does this process take so long? She has to put on makeup.

McCumber’s normal makeup routine averages around 30 minutes. “I wear makeup every day. If I’m going to school or out [of the house], I’ll wear a full face,” McCumber said.

Many girls wear makeup every day, if not almost every day. In fact, 56.3% of JC females wear makeup every day or almost every day, according to a February survey by The Patriot. However, some girls, like senior Lindsay Kraus, pick and choose when to wear makeup.

“I wear makeup sometimes if I just want to, and for special occasions like if I’m going out with friends or family” Kraus said.

However, the main question to ask about girls wearing makeup isn’t how much, It’s why?

According to the survey, a range of factors can play in to a girl’s decision to wear makeup. One of the main reasons girls wear makeup is to improve their appearances.

“Once you start wearing [makeup], you don’t feel pretty without it. It makes you feel ugly,” sophomore Nicolette Ficca said.

Skin imperfections and insecurities, such as acne or skin discoloration, can drive girls to wear makeup when they potentially otherwise would not.

McCumber believes that skin imperfections cause girls to wear makeup. “I used to suffer from acne, and that’s when I started wearing makeup. It’s one of the worst aesthetic problems you can suffer from, regardless of gender.”

The pressure to wear makeup is felt by many girls in and out of the JC community. Pressures from peers, society, and the girl herself plays a huge role in a girl’s decision to wear makeup, according to survey.

“Because everyone wears it, society tells people that if they don’t wear makeup, they’re ugly,” sophomore Doori Kane said.

However, insecurities and the pressure from society are not sole reasons as to why girls wear makeup. Makeup can be viewed as a resource used to heighten your natural beauty.

According to Kraus, she thinks girls wear makeup “because they think makeup makes them look their best.”

“It just adds to your appearance,” Ficca said.

With all the pressure there is around girls to look “perfect” these days, they often go a little too far in trying to cover up all their “imperfections.” This does not go unnoticed by the male population of JC.

“I don’t think [makeup] is really needed. Too much [of it] is bad,” senior Alex Brewer said.

“[makeup] isn’t that important,” junior Austin Kiss said. “Whether or not girls wear makeup should be up to them, not society.”

According to senior Maha Khan, because most girls wear makeup “as part of their daily routine,” it is easy to get carried away with the amounts of makeup they apply.

The best way to keep makeup looking natural is to apply makeup in natural light, and keep the amounts of makeup you apply moderate. While makeup is a useful tool to improve your appearance, too much can have the opposite effect.

The most important thing a girl needs to remember is that makeup is a tool to enhance her natural beauty, not to mask it.

Kaley Martin is an Opinion Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.