Texas High Schoolers Go Makeup Free for Redefining Beautiful Club

by Erin Donnelly (Subscribe to Erin Donnelly's posts)
Posted Oct 8th 2010 at 4:30PM

Colleyville Heritage High School students Samantha Gibbs Lauren Gilby Nina Smith Emily Gates Laura Kelly Caroline Tessler Redefining Beautiful

Real beauties: These Texas teens are going sans makeup. Photo courtesy of Redefining Beautiful

Pass the cold cream -- barefaced is the new black, baby!

At least it is at one Texas high school, where teenage girls have formed a group that celebrates going makeup free on Tuesdays.

Fed up with media portrayals of young girls wearing revealing clothes and caked-on makeup, Colleyville Heritage High School students Samantha Gibbs, Lauren Gilby, Nina Smith, Emily Gates, Laura Kelly, and Caroline Tessler founded Redefining Beautiful, a group celebrating natural beauty and self-confidence.

The club, which was formed at the beginning of the school year, was inspired by the positive beauty website OperationBeautiful.com, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Now boasting nearly 200 members, the club is hoping to spread its empowering message of "real beauty" by skipping makeup every Tuesday -- unthinkable for most teen girls. (If that's a bad day for you, consider the like-minded Makeup-Free Monday.)

"There is nothing wrong with wearing makeup, but using it as a cover-up to hide your true beauty is something we're trying to change," Tessler tells StyleList.

"The concept of not wearing makeup has nothing to do with makeup products," adds Gibbs. "It's all about letting your personality shine."

Donning T-shirts that read "Redefining Beautiful, One Girl at a Time" -- and not a stitch of mascara -- the ladies also support community service projects such as donating to a local women's shelter.

And for those girls who consider coming to class without a full face of makeup social life sabotage, fear not.

"I have not seen or heard one negative response to this campaign," faculty sponsor Suzanne McGahey tells StyleList.

"We want girls to be confident with or without the makeup, letting themselves be true to who they really are," says Gilby.

These high schoolers are making a difference, one girl at a time. Photo courtesy of Redefining Beautiful

Consider us inspired. Let's just hope the world can handle our under-eye circles!

Speaking of women who wow, see who made the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women List.

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Filed under: Beauty, News, Makeup
Tags: clubs, colleyville heritage high school, confidence, empowering beauty, empowerment, high schools, makeup free, no makeup, operation beautiful, positive image, redefining beautiful, self-confidence, teens

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READER COMMENTS

(24)Add A Comment

Shoefly, 10-09-2010, 1:50PM

Applause and congrats to these beautiful young women -- this program sounds especially good because of the way they also do community service to help women. Now that's beautiful!

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BLD, 10-10-2010, 12:36PM

Great story! Too bad the last line seems to diminish the entire article's point. You shouldn't have to worry about whether the world can handle your under-eye circles! Just as these young women are saying, beauty comes from who you are, not how tired you look.

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JEB BUCKINGHAM, 10-11-2010, 11:41AM

WOW! These young ladies ARE beautiful with no makeup on! I LOVE the natural look! Good job, girls.

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vernietru, 10-11-2010, 11:59AM

At the age of 50, I don't wear makeup. Never have. However, those that don't know me, think I'm at least 20 years younger.

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vernietru, 10-11-2010, 12:18PM

At 50 I never wore makeup. People always think I'm 20 years younger.

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debbie, 10-11-2010, 12:08PM

As a psychotherapist dealing with self esteem issues in so many girls and women, I couldn't be happier to see this story. Congratulations to all the girls that have the natural beauty and self esteem to join such an amazing group. If more people and our society as a whole valued one's inner beauty more then what someone looks like, our world would be a more loving and caring place for our most important resource...people!!!!

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p from milwaukee, 10-11-2010, 12:49PM

GOOD FOR YOU! IT IS ABOUT TIME YOUNG PEOPLE UNDERSTAND TRUE BEAUTY. I'M WITH YOU GIRLS, AND DON'T YOU FEEL GREAT FOR STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE? THE HUMAN RACE CAN LEARN A LESSON FROM THIS PROTEST!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Jessica, 10-11-2010, 12:28PM

The lesson these girls will learn is the difference in the way they are treated when they do and when they don't wear make-up.

They will find out that people are nicer to them, they will get better service and people will be more inclined to help them when they are wearing make-up. It may not be right, but that's the way it is out there.

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Janet, 10-11-2010, 12:29PM

Look closely at the "natural beauties". Everyone of them appears to bleach their hair....real natural beauties!

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TB, 10-11-2010, 1:34PM

Obviously, you're not from TX, Janet. These girls look like they've been playing out in the Texas sun. The girl on the left side of the photo is Brown haired through and through, as shown by the "back" shot. Also, guess what? The article is about Make Up, not hair treatments. Can you say "jealous much?" How 'bout keeping in mind that old saying my father used to tell me when talking about others: "If you can't find something nice to say, *don't* say anything at all!"

dickn2000b, 10-11-2010, 1:50PM

Pass the cold cream -- barefaced is the new black, baby! What kind of racist comment is that? There wasn't a single black girl in the photos. This was a thoughtless, meaningless, pointless, racist remark. It added nothing but rancor to the article. somebody needs to fire this thoughtless, idiot jerk!

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Stacy, 10-11-2010, 3:25PM

It's not a racist comment. It's a fashion reference. Black (the color) is a wardrobe staple, and when a new color is fashionable, they say "(color) is the new black." When pink was popular, it went "Pink is the new black."

B, 10-11-2010, 7:51PM

You are the one with a racist mind. Bare faced is the new black in the same way "pink is the new black"...they are talking fashion. Not people!
Go wash your mind out with soap.

m, 10-13-2010, 3:30PM

The new black means.... black is a staple in CLOTHING! This means like a new trend, thing to do,wear, or not wear.
Geesh how are stpid ppl allowed to reply?
Please have a clue before you rant!

Larry W. Bruce, 10-11-2010, 1:55PM

ICK ! These girls need to cut their hair. Noone should have long, straight, stringy hair after the age of 16. I especially hate to see older women (Cher, Gweneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Denise Richards) with long, straight, stringy and fried hair. Its like they can't let go of their child hood. Girls---you're not 16 anymore. Grow up and get an above-the-shoulder, updated, and classy haircut.In my opinion, Meryl Streep's haircut in "The Devil Wears Prada" was an ideal look for Meryl. Another great look was Linda Evans in Dallas.

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SJ, 10-20-2010, 9:21PM

How shallow and rude to say such a thing to anyone, but especially to children. You clearly missed the point of the article and everything these beautiful girls are trying to do.

KK, 10-19-2010, 10:58AM

And it's exactly that....your OPINION. Hairstyles have nothing to do with "letting go of childhood"....get a clue

Karen Cunningham, 10-11-2010, 10:28PM

Someone please show this to Oprah! This is such a good idea for teen girls to know natural beauty is BEAUTIFUL!!! If Oprah had these
girls on her show it could encourage many other teens!
I'm 49 and have makeup free weekends.

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David, 10-11-2010, 3:06PM

Looking your worst I think not, making the most of what you got is hot!

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Ann Dobson, 10-17-2010, 4:00PM

I live in Texas and I am proud to see and hear about this group of young women. Being beautiful on the inside is so much more important than beauty on the outside. We make snap judgments of people based upon what they look like on the outside, when we should be taking the time to get to know the real person on the inside. May the Eyes of Texas and God's Grace be forever upon you.

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