As a woman living in today's society, I as well as other women am given massively unrealistic expectations for how I should look in the eyes of others.
It's tiring to try to fit the standards for everyone. To have to be fully aware of my weight, my choice in clothing, my stress levels, the amount I choose to smile, my posture and wearing enough makeup to walk the faulty line between having a "natural look" without not wearing anything at all. Society's goals for women, as they seem, are to make sure we are always doing our best to please others, stay poised and maintain a positive image in the limelight.
Well, I'm here to say that it's just not possible all the time.
There will be days where you woke up late and don't feel like getting ready, so you will jump out of bed after hitting the snooze button 10 times. You're going to want to wear your hair naturally, or rest your face for once, or even decide to try the new risky lipstick you've been eyeing at Sephora. You will feel sad, angry and irritated and sometimes will pick the tub of ice cream over going to the gym. You may do that more than once, and that's okay too. You will be ridiculed or doubted because of your sexual preference, the color of your skin, your hair style, your stretch marks, or even the shape of your nose. But I'm here to say that anyone that has ever made you doubt your worth or your beauty based on their preconceived notions of how you should look or act, is completely wrong in any assumption they make about you.
We are women, and we are all beautiful and unique and full of purpose in our own ways. The size of our brain matters much more than the size of our jeans. We are not just your objects to direct your criticisms toward. We have different qualities that make us the definition of perfect to the people who matter. Although sometimes we may doll ourselves up, it is never for the purpose of you--sometimes we just want to look nice. We take care of each other and ourselves, and that is what is most important. What makes me beautiful is not me wearing a dress, or the right mascara, or the low-cut shirt. I am beautiful when I laugh, talk about someone I love, or am reading a book. Traditional, raw beauty might be hard to discover within yourself at first, but I promise you, it is there. And to the people who tell you you're not beautiful because you are not the size 0 supermodel or a curvy Kardashian sister, they are missing out on something even better, someone more authentic, because they are caught up in the notion that to be beautiful, we all have to be the same.
There will always be times you will feel like you have to compete with the woman sitting beside you, until you realize the woman sitting beside you is competing to be more like someone else, too. In such a harsh society, we have to stick together in order to fight these cruel stereotypes. The minute you realize you are more than enough, is when you can start encouraging other women that they are too.
So forget the people who told you that your personal beauty wasn't enough, because inward growth, passion and kindness goes far beyond how you may look on the exterior. Wear the makeup, or don't. Do your hair, or don't. Make the goofy face, and laugh the strong laugh. Dance terribly and sing way too loud. You only have one person you have to be sure you're making happy at the end of the day, and that one person is you.
