I will admit that as a woman in today’s society, I exhaust an embarrassing amount of effort trying to be “pretty.” Being constantly bombarded by popular culture, I often find myself worrying about trivial things such as makeup and wondering if I should try to be more “girly.” Don’t get me wrong, I love slipping into a cute dress and curling my hair every once in awhile, but more often than not, I feel most comfortable in jeans and a tshirt with my hair tied back into a ponytail. It is almost as if there is some unspoken rule that because I am a woman, in order to be considered pretty, I should be small, quiet, and look presentable at all times. The only problem with that is the fact that I, along with at least a million other women, do not meet any of those criteria. I am big and I take up lots of space. When I think something is funny, I laugh, loudly. There are days, especially now that I am a college student, where I roll out of bed, throw on a pair of jeans and a baseball cap and go on about my day.

I recently discovered a slam poem on YouTube that has been heavy on my heart for weeks. It is titled "Pretty," by Katie Makkai (you can find it here). I feel that this something everyone should watch, especially girls and women who are constantly obsessing over physical beauty. My favorite part of the poem is when Katie says that she will tell her daughter that everything she will ever be could never be encompassed in 5 meager letters.

After experiencing this poem, I have begun to realize how much more I appreciate compliments regarding my character rather than my physical appearance. I, like many others, am incredibly self conscious about my physical image, so much that I struggle to believe others when they tell me that I am beautiful or even just pretty. When you have such a poor self image, it is hard to genuinely accept such praise. However, I am always pleased when others remind me that I am funny, kindhearted, intelligent, or even simply saying that I am nice or a good friend. I am almost always making a conscious effort to be a good person, to be someone that others enjoy being around. Therefore, nothing makes my day quite like positive comments about my character or the content of my heart.

I also would like to challenge everyone who reads this article to spread a little more positivity. In a world with so much negative energy, I think it is crucial to remind those around you how important they are and to make them aware of their admirable traits. In the end, I feel that the mark we leave on the world has less to do with beauty and more to do with how we interact with those around us. So go out into the world and refuse to be defined by your physical appearance.