Expectations of being a girl: We should be thin, but curvy. We should have long perfect hair, and no blemishes. Our stomach should be flat but our butts big. We always have on makeup and our hair is done. We dress to impress, wearing slimming clothing and heels.
Reality: Some of us are born thin, some of us are born curvy. Some of us have short hair. Some of us have acne. We have tummies and no butt. Makeup takes too much work to do every day and we like our sweatpants. Our hair isn’t always perfect. We hate heels.
Our expectations of the “perfect women” are all wrong. We shouldn’t think that being beautiful means being like that. The problem with the world is that girls are always trying to impress. To impress the cute guy, the other girls, and ourself. And yet we don't realize that this is killing us. It hurts our hair to put so much heat on it, it hurts forcing ourselves to the gym every day and it hurts putting makeup on our face every single day. It hurts staring in the mirror and not feeling pretty.
And yet we don't realize just how beautiful we all are. We are all born different, yet we are all pretty. We don't need the makeup or the straightener. We don’t need to always go to the gym or always wear cute clothes. We don’t always need to impress someone. What do we need? Love, happiness, encouragement.
The world keeps pushing this image that is perceived as beautiful and it is ruining girls’ self-esteem, including mine. I hate that we can’t realize the beauty we radiate just by being who we are. I don't like that I look in the mirror and hate what I see because all my life I was told this isn’t beautiful. I don’t like how I feel after eating a cookie or a piece of pizza. I don’t like how I feel after seeing a model posing all cute in her bathing suit. I feel jealous looking at magazines. And I shouldn’t feel this way.
We should be proud and happy and pretty. We are all beautiful. We just need to see past this image that’s stuck in our brain. Surround yourself with people who don't care your stomach isn't flat or who don't care that you're in sweatpants. Allow people into your life who think you're pretty for your sense of humor, or your intelligence. You're beautiful because you're kind to others and because you're a good listener. You are born with so much more than your looks. We need to change the expectations of our world by teaching each other to love the good and ignore the bad. Teach girls to love themselves for being themselves.
