It blows my mind how many articles there are on how to look prettier for your significant other. Or how many 'tips and tricks' magazines there are on how to be a more attractive person. I am SO SICK of society telling people that the only way to have other people find you attractive is if you change everything about you. Where are the articles about natural beauty? Or the articles that promote flaws and imperfections. Give me an un-photoshopped, raw human being in a Magazine for once.
I remember being in FIFTH GRADE and getting my school pictures taken. I have always loved the two freckles above my upper lip. I was devastated when I received my pictures to find that they had softened my face and photoshopped out my freckles. At such a young age, I learned that the beauty I saw was an imperfection to the rest of the world. How sad that it started so young. Sadly, I believe that it is starting even younger now. Girls are now wearing a full face of makeup at 13. I still thought mascara was for eyebrows at 13...
From playing five sports year round for over four years, I became a pretty muscular girl. I thought it was so cool how my calves looked toned when I wore any kind of shoe that had a slight heel ( this was previous to my knowledge that society frowned upon a girl with any other body type than thin). Even though all my other friends were still very small in grade school, I did not think anything of it. It was not until High School that I noticed the difference in my body type and my friend's petite body type. They all had a body that was liked while mine was nothing special. I liked all the same things and had just as many great qualities ( and bad ones too lol ) but they were still more popular based on the shape of their body alone. I miss when the kind of person you were on the inside mattered more than what meets the eye.
The point is, this heartbreaking discovery of the way society works is just growing stronger and arriving earlier. And this is not just for girls... I know guys struggle just as much with body image and societal views. I just want to make a post for those who have not yet found the strength to stand up the these attacks on one's own self image. I want to make this post so that everyone knows that there is nothing wrong with loving yourself.
The thing is, whether you are underweight, overweight, strong or weak, you will be loved ( and if the only person that loves you right now is you, that is okay ). You should never have to change the number on the scale to have people like you. If you find yourself having to do this, the only thing you need to change is the people you are associating yourself with. Those kind of people are what we call toxic! On the other hand, I need to make it clear that I am not advocating obesity or starvation. You should always take care of yourself out of pure love for yourself. This is just a reminder that healthy comes in many forms.
You should never have to wear makeup to feel beautiful. At one point in my life I found it hard to leave the house without a full face of makeup on. There is nothing wrong with enhancing your beauty until it becomes necessary for your comfort. Love your fresh morning face just as much as your Friday night face. Both are beautiful despite what that photoshopped model in that Pinterest post told you. The plus side to a makeup-free face is getting to rub your eyes whenever you want! ( Maybe that is just a 'me' thing but I find that to be a major luxury) The main point is that makeup is okay, just keep yourself in check for why you are wearing it.
So many of my friends began to change based on what a certain boy or girl that they liked found attractive. It would go so far as a change in wardrobe or music taste. Wear what you want and blare that embarrassingly old music if you like it. Life is too short to pretend to like things you obviously hate and be someone you are not. The right person for you will either love the same things as you or embrace the things you love simply because you love them (Plus there is nothing better than meeting someone with the same music taste as you). Gladly, I learned this early on. I found that I was happier reading in my free time in between classes even though everyone else found reading nerdy . I did not mind knowing every word to almost every 80s rock song while I still had to Shazam whatever pop song my friends decided to play in the car. I did not settle for things that did not make me happy and I found friends who appreciated me more because of it. We all deserve this kind of peace with ourselves.
The whole point to this dramatic post is that you should accept the fact that you will never be everyones cup of tea. You should also realize that if there were ever such a superhuman that everyone liked, they would be boring because of it. All the cool protagonists in any good movie are the outcasts or the weird kids or the person that no one understands. You are darn cool and not everyone will get that ( but that just makes you more cool, my friend). Instead of trying to be everyones cup of tea, be a cup of your favorite drink for your own darn self.
That un-photoshopped, fresh morning face is already enough.
A thousand times enough
Sincerely,
Sidney
