"Well, is she pretty?" "Don't worry, you're prettier than her." "Does he think she's cute?" "She's not that cute."

We live in a society of constant comparisons. When did everything become a full-blown competition?

Let's get something straight: another girl being "pretty" shouldn't be a threat to you and another girl being "pretty" doesn't mean that you're not yourself. There are millions and millions of other girls out there with their own form of beauty. There is no such thing as "ugly." Perceptions of other girls should never detract from how you feel about yourself because you are unique, with even your flaws differentiating who you are in a positive way.

When you really think about it, what is "pretty" anyway? When you look beyond the stereotypical definition of beauty in the media, you'll realize that true beauty has nothing to do with your outwards appearance.

Some of the "prettiest" people in the world have the worst souls, and the reality of life is that beauty eventually fades. There is no Fountain of Youth and time will eventually take its toll on us. Chasing perfection and illustrious beauty ideals is a true squandering of our precious time on Earth. You can't forget that you're never guaranteed a tomorrow.

You can spend all of your time trying to embody the quintessential definition of "beauty" or you can accept that there is no one definition...and it is a much better utilization of your existence to work towards your passions, dreams, and self-fulfillment.

People don't leave a meaningful legacy by being pretty. People leave a legacy by foraging meaningful relationships with others and leaving them, and subsequently the world, a bit better than they found them.

With that said, it is extremely easy to buy into the ideology that society propagates in that a majority of a woman's worth is dependent on her looks. Analysts estimate that the global beauty market is expected to reach $265 billion by the year 2017.

Tina Fey perfectly captured the essence of society's preposterous ideals: “...Every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.”

I'm all for having pride in your appearance and being able to dress up or express yourself in different ways through clothing, makeup, and the like. Trust me, I love shopping and Sephora as much as the next girl. There is nothing wrong with this.

The problem comes when we allow our self-esteem to be decimated by our perceived inferiority in comparison to images that have been altered a hundred times over by the media. Everything in the media is promoted in conjunction with some of the biggest corporations.

If every woman in the world was taught that they were beautiful just how they are, how would these companies make all their money?

We have to realize that we all are beautiful and we are a much stronger force when we are in solidarity with other women.

Remember that tearing down other women doesn't facilitate the betterment of any aspect of ourselves.

And tomorrow, just for kicks, try complimenting three different girls when you're out and about. You might be surprised what happens.