As I have grown up in a society that places beauty and outward appearances as the most important goals, I have come to realize three key facts.
1. You will never be completely happy with your body.
2. There will always be someone you feel is better looking than you.
3. Someone out there finds you to be the epitome of beauty.
Most of us have felt pressure to strive for this ideal beauty standard due to society and social media, and many of us have found ourselves unhappy with what we look like because we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. These others could be friends, family, the sought-after Instagram models, or even the person walking past you in the grocery store. Our generation claims that individuality and originality are two important qualities to have and that we must keep our creativity alive in this ever-deadening society created by politics, religious differences, and other societal pressures. But isn’t it funny that everyone is trying to conform to this “perfect” image created by social media and other media outlets?
Let’s start with Instagram. We have all sat and watched the tutorials, sucked in our stomachs “just like them” to try and hit the perfect angle in a picture, and have scrolled past weeks and weeks of flawless selfies on a single page. If the whole idea is to be healthy and beautiful, aren’t all of these actions some of the unhealthiest and ugly things that we can do to ourselves? Why do we subject ourselves to the very things that make us question our beauty, and let our self-images be chopped in half just because we don’t look as good on an app? I am guilty of it, and I am sure that some of you are too.
Everyone’s perception of beauty is different, and I believe that it is ever-changing as well. And at this moment in time, it seems like all girls are trying to look exactly like the Kardashians and Jenners, or take a full 180-degree turn from that and want to be seen as a nature-loving, yoga-doing, well-traveled young adult with perfect wavy hair and tan skin. Why do we sit back and look at these people like they are the true vision of beauty, but can’t see ourselves in the same light? I bet someone out there is able to when looking at you. How great would it be if that’s what you saw every time you looked in the mirror.
Will the admiration and wishing ever end? I honestly don’t believe it will. I think that people are naturally inclined to never be completely happy with themselves. So many changes can be made to an appearance, but there seems to always be something else that can be done. If you’re fit, you could be more fit. If your hair is long, it could be longer and healthier. Oh, you do your make-up perfect every day? Well say hello to ten more tricks you’ll want to perfect in order to keep up with the industry standards. When will this stop? The answer is simple: It won't. As individuals we will always want more out of ourselves, that is healthy and human, but we also need to learn that maybe "that more" we are searching for is inside rather than on the outside. So make a goal for yourself; with every change you make to your outward appearance, do something that will better your inside-self as well. Pray, read, meditate, sleep, and give your soul the break it needs from constantly striving for someone else’s life. You can be as pretty as your pocket allows you to be, but if you aren’t truly happy with who you are as person, your self-image will continue to take the hit.
Yes, we are always going to find someone who we believe is prettier than us, has a better body, has better skin, or hair, but I will let you in on a secret: for the ten people that you admire from afar, I guarantee there are another ten admiring you. So embrace your flaws, embrace your beauty, and know that you are more than just an appearance. You have strengths that others strive for, you are intelligent in areas that others are not, and you are more than what you are giving yourself credit for.
