Keys made waves this year when she started showing up to talk shows and award shows sans makeup. Her new fresh-faced look had Twitter going crazy, but for Alicia, she was just being true to herself. Keys shared that she was tired of trying to be and look like someone she is not. She has always felt slightly uneasy about being in the public eye and actually wrote about her feelings in her song, "When a Girl Can't be Herself." She wrote, "In the morning from the minute that I wake up / What if I don't want to put on all that makeup / Who says I must conceal what I'm made of / Maybe all this Maybelline is covering my self-esteem." Can't get much clearer than that.
Keys was always used to being scrutinized for her looks. When you're a rising star, there's always someone with an opinion about it. She just didn't realize how much it was affecting her until a recent photo shoot. Keys showed up ready for hair and makeup when the photographer suggested starting the shoot without anything, no makeup, no stylist, nothing. Keys shared that the thought scared her, but once she tried it, "I swear it is the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly beautiful that I have ever felt."
So what made her decide to ditch the Maybelline for good? She says it's "Cause I don't want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing."
