On a regular weekday, I don’t use many products. I don’t typically wear makeup or hair products (aside from dry shampoo if my hair is looking greasy), and only really use deodorant, face wash, and moisturizer to make my face feel nice and fresh and clean and hydrated. These products help to make me feel like I’m taking care of myself and presenting a good version of myself. I was proud of myself for going without all of my usual products for this challenge, as I wanted to get the full effect, and I figured that if the worst-case scenario is that I feel a bit insecure for 12 hours then that is something that I could deal with. Deodorant was definitely the most difficult product to go without, as I am a sweaty person and I knew that I would begin to smell like body odor as the day went on.

I didn’t expect to see a dramatic difference in the appearance of my classmates the day of the challenge, just maybe noticing that people look a little less put-together and possibly smelling some body odor due to a lack of deodorant. However, there was no noticeable difference at all to me. If I had not known that the challenge was happening that day, I would not have thought anything was different. Similarly, no one made any indication throughout the day that they noticed something different about me or my appearance.

My main takeaway from this challenge was a reinforcement in the idea that a lot of the enhancing, beautifying products that we buy and use every day are not necessary for us to feel good about ourselves. There is nothing wrong with having greasy hair or sweaty armpits or un-concealed acne, and that’s something that I try to remind myself, but it can be difficult to not fall into the traps set by our society that tells us that we need to look a certain way in order to be considered attractive. However, I also think that if using products makes you feel good about yourself and is a positive aspect of your daily routine, it’s up to the individual to do what makes them feel good and confident, as long as they realize that they are just as worthy without any of those products.