Jess Barron

"When I wake up/ in my make-up/ it's too early for that dress..." - hole

When I was little I remember whenever we were going out somewhere we would always be waiting for my mom to finish putting on her make-up in the bathroom mirror of our apartment. It was the early 80s, and my mom -- who was a single divorcee -- wore blue eyeshadow and lots of mascara. My brother and I, anxious to leave, would nag her to go, and she would say, "We can't go until I'm all made up."

I knew that unicorns and dragons and fairies were made up, so I realized at the age of five that make-up mirrors were magical. Ah, the many transformations they witness! Make-up is power, similar to self-invention. I never go anywhere without a tube of red lipstick, and sometimes I think I'm completely made up.