As a southern girl, going out “without your face on” is often deemed heresy. “You never know who you’ll see when you’re out and about, so always be ready!” was a common line I remember, and while I personally love makeup, brushing on big eyebrows, and winging my eyeliner, I now know that those products are not my face, my face is my face.

Post Ponds Cold Cream with my “real” face.

Some of my favorite photos to see on social media or skimming through photo albums are women in a hospital, holding their newborn baby. It’s in these photos that you see women (even the most “girly”) unapologetically bare-faced holding the life they just shoved out of their body. Let me repeat: They just pushed a person out of their body–they produced life, they are a mother and a warrior, contouring is not on their mind.

The point of this isn’t to preach “the beauty industry is horrific” it’s to say something I wish someone would have told me, dolling yourself up isn’t always necessary and sometimes you need to wake up and go. Full on granola. You’ll be fine.

Wear makeup if you love it, don’t wear it if you don’t. We all have natural beauty, and odds are people won’t throw up if they see you without “your face” on, they’ll just see you looking more like yourself.

Here are some women who rock the sans makeup life, strong and beautiful.

(Models, aka real people, from top to bottom: Stephanie Lockhart, Millena Oliveira, Kenzie Greer).