Beau•ty

Beauty is painBeauty is in the eye of the beholderBeauty is only skin deepThese are misguided misconceptions of what it means to be beautifulYet it is what we all seem to believe

Since you were little, you have drawn this image of what you wanted to beAnd today,You scrollYou likeYou commentAnd you think“If only that were me”

You look in the mirror and try to be toughBut confidence and self-love are not taught enoughNow the time for teaching is dueBut it’s painful nonstopWhen everywhere you look is photoshoppedDisplaying an impractical view

Being a woman you are told to strutBut how do you do that with no boobs and no buttThese are the unrealistic expectations you look up to

So you poke and you prod at every one of your flawsTill you can’t even see the real you

Society has given us an image, we accept itBut the problem is that we conform ourselves to fit itLeaving behind the real truth

We have bumps and scars and our teeth aren’t straightWe have wrinkles and bags and struggle with our weightThe things we wish nobody knew

Imperfections are the definition of our insecuritiesBut we won’t let our insecurities define usBecause beauty is not a picture in a magazineBeauty is not an actress on the big screenAnd beauty is not about lust

We don’t need to dye our hair or tan our skinPaint our faces or starve ourselves thinTo fit in this box we’ve created

Because despite what we have been taughtI want us to forget everything that we thoughtWe HAD to be so we wouldn’t be hated

By definitionBeauty is a combinationOf qualities meant to please the senses

Tell me, who said those qualitiesWere limited to be perceivedBy the only sense with lenses?

So get rid of the mascara, the foundation, and the lipstickDon’t worry about being too thin or too thickStop hiding behind your own skin

Wear what you want, let your hair flow freeAnd throw away all the things you think you needTo be a beautiful and amazing woman

Let the inner you shine throughThe one you try so hard to suppress

Because beauty is laughterBeauty is a feelingAnd beauty is happiness