Forget the eyeliner and ditch the lip gloss. The Multicultural Leadership Board is hosting Make-Up Free Monday on Feb. 28 to celebrate natural beauty.

Everyone can come to campus makeup free to celebrate Make-Up Free Monday, and those who come to the event sans cosmetics will receive prizes. Makeup remover will be available at the event for those who wish to remove their makeup.

Senior student Angelica Garcia-Ditta, the Women’s Heritage coordinator for the MLB, planned Make-Up Free Monday. She came up with the idea for the event last year while doing community service in her Women’s Studies class for a final project.

“The event is more of a campaign, similar to Wear Red for Relationship Violence Awareness or Wear Purple for LGBT Spirit Day,” Garcia-Ditta said. “Natural beauty is important, especially in college because taking the time to appreciate what we have naturally and celebrate each other is necessary for building community, particularly among women, who often focus a lot of daily attention on makeup or clothes.”

Garcia-Ditta acknowledged that there are different reasons for wearing makeup.

“Wearing makeup is great, but it’s just a reminder that it isn’t necessary to feel confident,” Garcia-Ditta said.

The United States is notorious for being an appearance-oriented country that thinks cosmetic surgery is normal for those who can afford it, and any imperfections can—and, according to some, should—be fixed. This focus on appearance is a contributing factor to some young women’s struggles with self-image.

Still, others see makeup as a good thing.

“Makeup enables me to feel as though I look pretty in some way because others perceive me as someone that has taken the time and effort to put thought into their appearance,” freshman Baillee Perkins said. “In society, as ridiculous as it may be, appearance is everything.”

For freshman Elissa Powell, wearing makeup helps her feel more comfortable in her skin.

“I have really rosy Irish skin and I’m self-conscious about it, so for several years of my life I absolutely wouldn’t do anything without foundation, including sleep,” Powell said.

She also attributes her reasons for wearing makeup to beauty standards created by the fashion industry, as well as the male population. Even so, she believes Make-Up Free Monday is a positive celebration.

“Every woman is beautiful in their own way. Beauty is inside and out. Make-Up Free Monday is a celebration for women to simply be themselves and not worry about the pressures that society constantly places on them,” Perkins said.

Freshman Sammi Gibson uses makeup for fun and enjoys applying makeup as a part of her morning routine.

“It takes your mind off everything else you may be worrying about in the morning because all your focus is on trying to make your make-up look nice. Or at least that’s how it is for me,” Gibson said.

People need to understand that as you show that you are confident and comfortable with the way you look, it will have a positive impact on the way you look at yourself, Gibson added.

Make-Up Free Monday will be held on the Ragsdale Lawn on Monday, Feb. 28 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pictures will be taken and posted on a small display that illustrates natural beauty.