Beauty: The one thing we can all appreciate.
No matter your culture, race, ethnicity, social or economic status, we are all aware of it. Beauty is in everything, we know that. It's in the shape of the moon, in the daffodils that bloom every spring, in the sky-scraping glass towers that tourists gawk at. But when it comes to me, to others, we are more than that.
Yes, I take care of my appearance. I wear makeup, I fleek my eyebrows every day, but it's not for you. I make myself feel confident by enhancing my eyelashes and making my cheeks a little rosier. It's an art form, and I take personal pride in it. But when the only thing you notice is how "pretty" I am, I'm somewhat offended.
Don't get me wrong; everyone needs a pick-me-up once in a while. But if that comes in the form of you telling me to "smile" because it's "proven to make you happier," I don't want to hear it.
What about everything else? Is there really nothing else you can say of me, nothing that you can comment on, except my physicality? Am I nothing more than a doll on a shelf, placed primp and proper, only to be looked at? This emphasis on literal genetic randomness has barely any merit. Come on. Get creative.
It angers me how our society places so much weight on physical structure. From when I was a little girl, the first thing aunts and uncles would gush about at family parties would be how "beautiful" I was getting and how my parents would "have to keep the boys off me," regardless of how many piano recitals or spelling bees I competed in.
Toddlers are told to compete in beauty pageants and put on television, which is seen as entertainment in the industry. Magazines feature "The World's Most Beautiful Woman" as a standout piece. Even the current President of the United States himself has made a name for himself by only saying a reporter had a "nice smile." (for a list of plenty more jeering remarks, help yourself here)
If the only thing you can think of to say to me is "you're pretty," don't bother complimenting me at all. I don't need to hear it.
It's okay to call someone "pretty." That just shouldn't be the only thing you say to someone. Compliment people on something within their realm of control. We can't control how we fuse together in the womb, but we can control every other aspect of our lives, our choices.
You are beautiful, yes. But you are SO much more than that.
