Dear Girl In The Mirror,
You are beautiful.
I believe these words. Do you? What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Do you see the acne that girl is school made fun of you for? or The weight your mother passive-aggressively mentioned?
Mirrors are powerful, but they only have power they are given. If these comments are what you are seeing, then you are believing them. I beg of you, please do not let yourself fall into that trap.
People who negate your self-image with these comments are doing so because that is what they are experiencing or have experienced. We cannot allow this to continue.
They are beautiful. They are loved.
But maybe they can't see these words. Maybe you can't see them either. Whether or not someone has said these statements to you or them, if you don't believe them, they are negated.
"You are all together beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way."
Society has built this idea that we are not allowed to accept compliments. If someone tells you how pretty you are, you are expected to respond with a half-acknowledging nervous smile and a comment about how its not actually true.
Why can't we accept compliments?
We are subliminally told that responding with a confident "thank you" is considered too confident, too sure of the compliment bestowed upon you, and that is conceit. Not true. Conceit is developed when we cease seeing the beauty of those around us.
Movies force this image of the quiet girl, who, while pretty, cannot see through her love self-esteem. Alas, she is rescued by her knight in shining armor, who comes through with love and compliments and solves her problems.
Sweet child, no man can fix self-love.
"The fact that someone else loves you doesn't rescue you from the project of loving yourself"
To truly love others, you must love yourself first. Compliment others as you would love to be complimented.
When you look in the mirror, stop worrying if those jeans make your butt look good, inspecting every inch of your makeup, and fussing with your hair. Everyone has their "hot mess" days, but these days are what keep us from being perfect, and perfect does not exist among humanity. Instead, say these words:
I am beautiful. I am loved. I am a glorious mess.
Speak words of love into your live so that you may pour them out into others lives.
Love,
The Girl Who Needs To Hear These Words Too
