"Pretty hurts, shine the light on whatever's worse. Perfection is a disease of a nation." Beyonce, Pretty Hurts

"Tryna fix something, but you can't fix what you can't see, it's the soul that needs the surgery."

Dear Girls,

In the words of Beyonce, pretty hurts. Isn't that the truth? Waxing, shaving from your armpits to your legs, spending hours on hair and makeup, picking out the cutest outfit; being a girl is hard. Society makes it that you have to look a certain way, act a certain way, be a certain weight, and dress a certain way. Well, quit listening. You don't have to always worry about being what magazines and other people tell you to be. You don't have to become obsessed with your outer image.

When Beyonce says, "Perfection is a disease of a nation", she's not kidding. We are a nation obsessed with being "perfect". Not necessarily perfect as in never messing up and always doing the right thing. No, instead we are obsessed with having our makeup "perfect", having our hair "perfect", having our outfits "perfect", and having "perfect" shoes. We all think that if we have the perfect image, then life will be complete. But that's not the case.

It's great to want to look good. It's a total confidence booster when you have the "perfect" outfit, hair, makeup, shoes, purse, and anything else you can think of. Look good, feel good, right?

Your looks and materialistic things are only going to get you so far in life, though. Being pretty on the outside is only going to last for a period of time.

God didn't create you to focus the majority of your life on materialistic things. He didn't create you to fixate on what everyone around you is saying to look like and be like. He didn't bring you into the world for you to cry every single night about your weight. He didn't create you to stick your fingers down your throat in an attempt to throw up the meal you just ate. He didn't create you to look in the mirror and tell yourself how ugly you think you are. He never wanted the meaning of being pretty to hurt you. He wanted and still wants you to take a step back and realize that being pretty is so much more.

Being pretty on the outside will never be as important as being pretty on the inside. What good is a person who is pretty on the outside, but isn't pretty on the inside as well? Beyonce also proclaims in her song as stated above, "Tryna fix something, but you can't fix what you can't see; it's the soul that needs the surgery." You can "fake it til you make it" as they say, but most of the personal pain you experience isn't on the outside. You can fix your zits by putting on foundation, you can fix the hole in your shirt by sewing it up, and you can even fix every little detail of your makeup, but you can't fix your soul, heart, and pain with anything but prayer and self love. Your face isn't the main source of your prettiness, your soul is.

"When you're alone all by yourself and you're lying in your bed, reflection stares right into you. Are you happy with yourself? It's just a way to masquerade, the illusion has been shed. Are you happy with yourself? Are you happy with yourself?"

At the end of the day, if you can go to bed happy with yourself then you have found the real meaning of being pretty. But that's the most important thing to ask yourself. Are you happy with yourself? I'm not talking about only being happy with your physical appearance, but are you happy with the person that you are? Did you do something kind for someone that day or did you take the time to reflect and work on yourself at least? If you can go to bed happy with who you are, the things you have, the body you were blessed with, and the satisfaction of knowing you are slowly improving your life in a positive way, then you have learned what being pretty is.

Pretty doesn't have to hurt. Stop listening to magazines, talk shows, songs, other people's nasty opinions, and just be you. Be your own type of pretty. Pretty only hurts if you let it. One day, your pretty face will fade. Your pretty body will go downhill. Your pretty image will no longer matter. But, your pretty spirit, soul, thoughts, ideas, actions, and words are what will remain forever, even after you're gone.

Pretty isn't defined by a specific definition. Pretty is defined by each unique individual. Pretty is defined by you.