Let me tell you about trends.

They come and they go like the swinging of a pendulum on a clock. Never there for long and always turning into something completely different. The #dontjudgemechallenge is one of these trends, a video based challenge that shows a person looking “ugly” then they put their hands up and are gorgeous.

Some might guess it is supposed to cast shame on society’s view point of pretty. The message is up for grabs but what isn’t is the fun aspect of watching your little sister tell you what to put on her face to make her more ugly, or in her words, “Like a troll Sissy!”

A trick I learned when working with Birdy on this, her name is changed for privacy, is to film the messy part first. The reason why is that there is no need for foundation at all, for when working with foundation the pain is in the removal.

The materials used were Lip stick;

Birdy: I need big lips for the ugly part!!

lip gloss that is red or a red lip liner;

Birdy: Oh and sissy, lots of pimples.

and lastly a shadow liner for your eyes or something dark in color for the…

Birdy: A unibrow!

Now I understand that these characteristics seem to describe someone who just hit puberty, but to my sister all these exagerated traits made her the happiest ugly duckling in the world. For when she wanted to be a swan though, again Birdy had some ideas on what made someone pretty.

The Materials used were a soft pink lip gloss

Birdy: Sissy, I need soft lips

Light blush,

Birdy: oh, and soft blush

A pink or purple pastel colored eye shadow

Birdy: I also need eyeshadow because pretty girls have long eyelashes and big eyes.

And lastly mascara, brown.

Birdy: I wonder if you could make me tan, because pretty girls are kind of tan.

If I had been able too she would have wanted an hour in the sun after the ugly shoot.

This challenge was a bonding experience with my sister. Over our ideas and perceptions on beauty. There was fun in editing the video with my sister as well as picking out a song to go along with it. This challenge, though being kind of amazingly deep, is also interesting to try with family. Trends may come and go, but so does your outlook on life.