A friend of mine from Ondo State used to joke during our teenage years that he didn't believe in makeup. His ultimate test for a woman's beauty was raw: he wanted to see her right as she woke up, preferably balancing a heavy bowl of water from a morning trip to the stream. While his theory was humorous, it hit on a deeper truth about authenticity our hyper-connected world has forgotten.
There's a common saying that 'women are moved by what they hear' - which is why men lie - and 'men are moved by what they see' - which is why women wear makeup. But women generally wear makeup to boost confidence, not for men. Today, high-tech cameras and heavy-duty filters form an industry designed to feed digital validation and hide physical insecurities, creating a jarring chasm between online avatars and real-life human beings.
True beauty is within: relationships are forged through how we are treated, how safe we feel, and how deeply we are valued. Feelings built solely on looks rarely endure because physical beauty inevitably fades.
