I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had friends come to me with their hearts broken by a boy who couldn’t see past their long blonde hair, pretty blue eyes, or skinny body. Time after time, boys have overlooked what’s truly important and gone straight for what they can see on the outside. Well let me tell you, those boys are missing out.

In today’s society, it’s so often that a relationship never goes beyond the surface. A guy will find you attractive, he’ll start talking to you, maybe you’ll go on a few dates, maybe you even kiss him—or more—and then all of a sudden, he’s moved on to the next shiny thing that walks past him—only to repeat the cycle with her. Now this is not an article to bash boys, I promise. Though I could write an entirely separate article to the boys who are on the other side of this all-too-common scenario, this is not that article.

To all of the girls out there who are feeling like you’ve been overlooked, misunderstood, or even taken advantage of—you are not alone and your feelings are very valid. So often we as girls will get it into our heads that “this guy is different” or that “he really seems to want to get to know the real me,” and then we’re suddenly surprised to find out that that’s not the case. One day he’s all into you, the next he’s all into the girl next to you.

You all need to know something: you are so much more than just a pretty face. You are a prize to be won, a heart to be understood, a soul to be learned and so much more. You have thoughts, feelings, dreams, desires, goals—there’s so much more to you than meets the eye. You have been through ups and downs, helped those around you who are hurting, put on a strong face when you’re disappointed, gave others the benefit of the doubt and given that boy the second chance he probably didn’t deserve—all to be hurt once again.

But there’s better things out there—I promise.

You have a heart that wants more than anything to be loved and cherished. You’ve put that heart on the line probably one too many times and been disappointed, but still you continue to take the risk. You have a heart that is waiting to love someone entirely, put your trust fully in them and do everything in your power to make sure they know that they have your heart.

You have a mind that is thinking of a million things at once, sometimes to your dismay. You’ve thought through every possible scenario, every time you’ve been hurt in the past, every guy who could potentially love you the way you want to be loved. You have tried your best to use your brain to be smart and protect yourself. You are smart, and sometimes that is overlooked. Your mind and where it wanders is what truly matters.

You have a spirit unlike any other girl sitting next to you. You are delighted by the littlest of things, you keep a positive attitude when you probably shouldn’t and you give those around you the benefit of the doubt out of a spirit of wanting to be connected rather than angry. Your spirit may be hurt, but don’t ever let it die.

You have the courage to wait and be patient to be treated right. You can wait for the guy who will look at your heart, mind and spirit and love every part of it. It’s in you to be patient, you just have to find it.

The boy you’re waiting for is out there waiting to love more than just your pretty face.

There’s a boy out there who will wait day in and day out for you to give him a second glance. There’s a boy out there who’s willing to do whatever it takes to win you over and get your attention. There’s a boy out there who will be willing to ask your dad for permission to date you and then treat you like the princess you are. There’s a boy who’s willing to sit and listen to all of your many stories twice, or even three times. There’s a boy out there who wants to get to know each and every special part of you. There’s a boy out there who’s willing to give you the world, he’s just waiting for you to come around.

One day you will look back and think to yourself, “why did I ever let myself believe that I deserved anything less than this?” There’s a boy out there who will prove to you that not all boys are going to walk away when they’re bored of your “pretty face.” There’s a boy out there who would rather have the pretty heart than the pretty face, because at the end of your lives, it’s the heart that will remain.

Don’t settle for anything less, than the boy who will do anything to look past your pretty face and get down to who you truly are: a gem waiting to be discovered and cherished forever.

And boys, for any of you reading this, be the boy who’s deserving of the girl who’s waiting for you.