I’m Meg Ann Lee, hairstylist, makeup artist, and co-owner of Moss Salon in Eau Claire. This week on the blog, I want to talk about getting ready. Not the 45 minute GRWM with ring lights and 30 linked products from influencers. The actual act of getting ready and why it matters more than the internet makes it look.
Creators who make GRWM content are doing their thing and I respect it, I mean I ALSO post that content. We’re all using social media to build and sell something. That’s not the problem. The problem is when you watch someone’s perfectly curated routine that is heavily edited to promote sales and then look at your own bathroom counter and feel like you’re doing it wrong. Like your five products aren’t enough or your 15 minutes alone with mascara and a hair tie doesn’t count. That’s comparison. And it’s making you feel like who you are right now isn’t enough. THAT is the problem I’m talking about today.
Getting Ready FOR Something vs. Getting Ready AS Something
Getting ready FOR something is external. You have somewhere to be, someone to see, something to post. There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s like 95% of my getting ready occurrences. But, getting ready AS something is different. The act itself is the point. The process of paying attention to yourself, choosing how you want to show up today, that IS the self care we’re talking about. Not the outcome. The ritual.
How to Make It Self Care Instead of a Task
Slow down. That’s the biggest shift and truly MY biggest hurdle. When getting ready feels like a checklist you’re rushing through, it’s a task and can be exhausting. When you’re actually present in it, it becomes something else entirely.
Put on music or a podcast you love. That alone changes the energy from “I have to do this” to “this is my me time.”
Use less. Seriously. You don’t need 15 steps. Pick the two or three things that make you feel the most like yourself and skip the rest. Self-care isn’t about doing the most. It’s about doing what matters to you.
Touch your own face. I know that sounds weird, but most people rush through skincare and makeup without ever slowing down enough to actually connect with what they’re doing. Applying moisturizer can feel like a chore or it can feel like taking care of yourself by massaging your face. The difference is just pace and intention.
Get ready when you have nowhere to be. This is the one that changes everything. It’s like playing dress up when you were just a kid. Your makeup, clothes, accessories, it’s all there just so you can have fun. When you get ready for fun you take away the deadline and the destination. Getting ready becomes purely about you. No one to impress. No event to prepare for. Just you deciding to show up for yourself in a creative way.
The Real Point
Stop measuring your routine against someone else’s content. Their routine was built for their life, their job, their audience. Yours should be built for YOU. Getting ready is one of the only parts of your day that’s completely yours. Nobody else gets to decide how you do it, how long it takes, or what products are involved. Use it to make yourself feel good. Not to perform someone else’s version of what self care is supposed to look like.
You already know what makes you feel like yourself. Trust that <3
The post Getting Ready as Self Care: What That Actually Means vs. What the Internet Sells You appeared first on I-94 Radio.
