To all young women out there, you're beautiful just the way you are. Between the media, celebrities and society, we withstand an unbearable amount of pressure to be perfect. Well, what is perfect, anyway? Spoiler alert: there is no such thing as perfect. Each and every one of us carries our imperfections like unwanted baggage when in reality, we should be embracing them. To every young woman, this one's for you.
Nothing feels more liberating than accepting the cards you were dealt. So you have a few blemishes, pimples or spots on your face? We all do. Have a few stretch marks on your body? We all do. Or what about some cellulite? We all do. No one is perfect; everyone has their own imperfections. As young women, we need to unite and embrace our imperfections. Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe once said, "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." Turn your weakness into strengths, and show yourself that your flaws are indeed wonderful.
Between envying the Victoria's Secret models to idolizing fitness stars, it's nearly impossible to feel adequate enough. Since when did a size 10 become plus size? Why are we compelled to conceal our faces with endless amounts of makeup? Why are magazine covers Photoshopped?What happened to going all natural? Media has taken over society's idea of beauty. To that, I say you're beautiful the way you are. As long as you are happy and healthy, don't let anything else impact you. Let Martina McBride's "This One's For The Girls" be your anthem as she says, "We're all the same inside, from one to 99."
It's a shame that a great deal of us feel the need to adhere to societal pressures and media norms. From having perfect skin to the nicest clothes to the prettiest hair and makeup, we as young women are constantly thrown onto society's pedestal of expectation. The constant pressure to mirror these presumably perfect people we see around us, is what leads us to feeling inadequate. Imagine a world without Spanx, waist trainers, implants and other superficial matters, a world where there was no need to compete with "perfect."
As young women, we need to be our own bosses, act on our own influence and empower each other. Do not mistake this as aggressively burning your bras or hating the world. This is about loving yourself and all of your insecurities. Beyonce preached it, Bruno Mars sang it and Aretha Franklin demanded it. Ladies, it's time to join forces and assure your sister, friend, mother, daughter, aunt and grandmother that each and every single one of us is beautiful just the way they are.