On Jan. 27, 2024, Calynn Chapman walkeddown the aisle with no makeup on her face. With her skin clear and happiness high, she said she felt no reason to wear anything on her face if it made her uncomfortable.
“I believe that God made me perfect just the way I am, blemishes and all,” Chapman told People magazine. “And I wanted to embrace that.”
She went on to say she told her mother and bridesmaids about the decision, who were all supportive.
On March 29, Chapman posted a TikTok video with the words, “Fun Fact: I wore no makeup on our wedding day,” atop a video of her in her wedding dress. The video quickly gained traction, reaching over four million views and 50,000 shares.
However, the video came with forty thousand comments, and viewers were split on the bride’s decision not to wear makeup.
“One thing about girls who don’t wear makeup…they will always tell you they’re not wearing makeup…Like yes sweetie we can tell,” one user commented.
“U coulda used a little lip gloss but ok,” another commenter wrote.
With these negative comments, Chapman felt that she had to clarify her decision and said she did not do it to hate on girls who wear makeup. Some people may have assumed she acted as if she were better than girls who do, but she was simply stating what was best for her specific situation.
Makeup is often consideredmore attractive and prestigious, and these beauty standards have caused many difficulties for women expressing themselves. However, beauty standards are not new, as they date back to Ancient Greece and Rome. It was common for many Greek women to be seen as beautiful because they were smart or good people.
Social media and filters on photos warp people’s perception of how others should look. The constant filters and comparisons to other social media users can make it difficult for people to see themselves as beautiful, even if the standards are unrealistic.
Despite all the negative comments she received, Chapman did receive plenty of positive comments under her TikTok post.
“Why’s everyone getting mad about what SHE decided to do on HER wedding???” One user commented.
Chapman’s story on TikTok became widespread. Zoe Burke, the wedding editor for Hitched, commented on the video with Newsweek.
“Your partner loves you for who you are, not what you put on your face,” Burke said
Some users made their own videos with their stance on the situation. Other users spoke about their disappointment with some of the people leaving negative comments on Chapman’s video.
Many of the kind comments mentioned Alicia Keys, who famously stopped wearing makeup as a political statement. Regardless of Chapman’s deeper reasoning for not wearing makeup, she most importantly did it for herself.
Despite getting some angry comments, Chapman showed she was happy with her choice by posting photos from her wedding on TikTok. In the videos, she and her husband are very happy.
