By Courtney Cmehil, Cardinal Ritter High School, Indianapolis, Indiana

Cardinal Ritter girls decided to clean off their make up masks, and are at ease with their natural beauty.

At any typical high school, the five minute passing period between classes for the girls is spent in the bathroom, touching up any blemishes and fixing their makeup. But at Cardinal Ritter, the females “dare to be different.” It is no surprise to the CR students to see a girl walk down the halls with a clean front. With high messy buns and unpainted faces, the girls have become more comfortable with their inborn look. “I definitely do not wear makeup everyday, and I am completely content with that,” shares junior Cali Nash.

On the other side of the mirror, junior Anna Hession is a daily makeup applier. “I don’t stress out over my appearance, but I like to look presentable. I am all for the girls that can rock the natural look, but I can’t get myself to completely throw out my makeup,” admits Hession. Many of the girls at Cardinal Ritter have decided to pitch their makeup bag, and catch a few extra minutes of sleep. “I don’t wake up any earlier just to put some color on my face,” vents Cali.

From the male perspective, Jacob Purichia spills some of his thoughts on the girls’ appearance at school. “I don’t think makeup is necessary on a girl, but it is sort of like extra credit,” says Purichia, “It gives the girls a step up in my book.”

Recently, a group of high school girls from Texas decided to cut makeup out of their daily routine and proudly walk around with bare skin. At first, the five girls were nervous that their message would not catch on, but nearly 200 girls started following their lead. Even the boys of the school were encouraging the new idea. A student of the school tells The Today Show, “I think the girls wanted to send a positive message that you can be beautiful no matter what the circumstances. It’s about empowerment and self-affirmation for younger girls.” Cardinal Ritter seems to have received the memo too as they strut their stuff without a caked face.

It is more widely common to wear makeup, but the girls at Cardinal Ritter decide to change up the game a little. According to a SmartGirl survey of 1,200 girls, varying from ages 6 to 22, a whopping 1,004 females apply makeup, and a low 214 disregard the option.

Cardinal Ritter has many different perspectives of the faces they see in the classrooms. The CR ladies skip the blush brush and mascara in the morning, and have no reason to change that. According to Anna Hession, it is not about pleasing everyone. She concludes saying, “No matter how ratchet you think you look, you are still beautiful in my eyes.”