In today's world, we are constantly surrounded by perfection. As a young girl in this society, I am always flipping through magazines and seeing professional makeup, salon fresh hair, thigh gaps, perfectly white teeth, and ways that I too can achieve this look. From such a young age, these ideas of how we are supposed to look are ingrained in our minds and it is impossible to erase them. After I spent years wondering how I could become that girl in the magazine, I came to the realization that she does not exist. I became sick of the media and magazines telling me what I should look like. I realized that as long as I am happy with myself, then that's all that matters.
I'll never be the girl who prefers heels to Converse, or the girl whose hair is perfectly in place with a coat of fresh lipstick. Day by day, we are subjected to pictures of the perfect body and are expected to replicate them. In reality, these pictures we see have been Photoshopped and edited relentlessly. Girls should not be made to feel like they have to change themselves in order to feel accepted and beautiful.
Here's the thing about that girl in the magazine: she isn't you. Her eyes do not light up the way yours do when you're happy. Her laugh isn't as infectious and contagious as yours is, she can't rap "Lose It" by Eminem flawlessly. That's why I'll never be that girl in the magazine, because I am too busy being me. Be yourself unapologetically and don't change for anybody. Comparing yourself to the girls you see in magazines, movies, and red carpets is a waste of time because the only person you can be is you. You are the only you there is, so why not be the best version of yourself?
Living in a world where you are constantly deemed not good enough is draining. I'm here to say that being who you are and being happy is beautiful and sexy, regardless of what size jeans you are. Some days I look put together, other days I look like a total mess, and that's because I'm human. Being perfect 24/7 isn't possible, so instead of trying to be something that doesn't exist, simply be you and believe that it's more than enough.
Now when I open a magazine instead of saying "I wish I looked like that," I say, "wow she's gorgeous, but so am I." Because although I'll never be the girl in the magazine, the girl in the magazine will never be me. Life is too short to waste it wanting to be anybody but yourself.
