I used to be obsessed with makeup, spending hundreds of dollars on fancy brushes and foundations just to make men terrified of how good I looked. Without my products, I was scared of being seen in public, frightened of the idea that men might not cower in terror as I approached. But going makeup free these last few weeks has given me a lot of confidence, and I can now say with total certainty that no, I don’t need makeup to feel like men should fear me.

No matter what cosmetic companies tell me, I don’t need the trendiest lipstick shade to make every man in the room turn his head to look at me, then shit himself over my intimidating presence. Because I’m a strong woman who knows her worth, I can achieve the exact same effect au naturel.

Men know I have several degrees, and constantly reminded of it when I walk into a room and demand they get back to work because I’m also their boss. I don’t need to be wearing mascara to make them panic when I walk by, closing all their tabs so I can’t see them looking at boat shoes online. The perception that I could snatch away their livelihood at any moment, is a feeling that comes from within me, and not from the way I look.

Having men fear you is something that should be attainable to all women, regardless of their career. I just want men to fear me when I decide they should, and I’ve decided they should fear me all the time, with or without foundation, eyeliner and a bold lip. While I still enjoy the process of putting on makeup before a big night out or simply because I’m having fun, I no longer require it to feel as though men should scatter from my path like roaches when I confidently enter a room and shine my wicked beauty upon them – that’s an effect no highlighter could ever achieve.

So what if I have visible pores? I don’t need a perfect complexion to know I’m worthwhile and that every man should live in terror of not meeting my expectations, lest I banish him from my sight with a cold glance and a wave of my hand. Because I know exactly what I need from the men around me and a perfect cat eye doesn’t make me any less deserving, or formidably calculating, as a person.

Seriously, I don’t need to be wearing makeup to be considered capable of destroying any man who crosses me.

I’m even past the point of caring if other people think I look tired. The point is: I feel strong enough to throw several men over a cliffside, and that feeling is the only “makeup” I need to wear.

Maybelline and Covergirl can’t give me the confidence to know men should get out of my way because I have shit to do, otherwise I’ll bite them in half. I know that in my heart. So I’m not scared for anyone to see me stripped of my colorful eyeshadow and fake extensions, as I really am: A woman so proud to be herself men should flee the building like someone just pulled the fire alarm, because I did. I actually just pulled the fire alarm for fun and no, I didn’t need makeup to encourage me.