Recently I was getting ready with my friend at my apartment to go out to the infamous Strip for the night. We were doing our hair and makeup and after she was done applying the last few swipes of her mascara, she proceeded to say, “I finally feel pretty.” I was very confused by this statement. I asked her why she felt pretty now, and her reply was, “My hair is curled, my outfit is sexy, and I have my makeup on.” I immediately felt sad for her. I wanted to shake her and say, “YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL WITHOUT ALL OF THAT. “
This got me thinking about how women perceive themselves in everyday life. Too often I have heard women my age say that they are fat, ugly, feeling rough, or look like a mess. Usually this is paired with the following statements: “I didn’t have time to put makeup on,” “I rolled out of bed and didn’t have time to straighten my hair,” “I am such a fatty because I ate bread today.” Why do women do this to themselves? Why do we constantly put ourselves down? This mentality is definitely due to a social norm of putting way too much precedence on how women look. As women, we think that we need to be a certain size, have a certain style and wear a certain amount of makeup to be considered attractive or beautiful. What we need to realize and teach the next generations of women is that we are more than just physical creatures. If women our age and older are feeling this insecure about themselves, what are we showing the younger generations of girls growing up in this over-sexualized world with unrealistic expectations placed on them? We are people who have ambitions, fears, desires and yet we focus so much on our appearance. We spend hours in the bathroom putting on makeup to look perfect when we already looked perfect when we had none on.
With that said, I want to challenge all women to look at themselves in the mirror and say, “I AM BEAUTIFUL.” Everyday. It is simple to say, but hard to mean. This is the first step to seeing yourself as a beautiful individual. Accept your flaws and realize that they make you unique. Do not compare yourself to others, especially the media. Do not feel like you have to be validated by anyone other than yourself. You are the only opinion that matters when it comes to your appearance. Understand that you are unique and that no matter what you have been told, you are perfect just the way you are. Oh, and by the way, if someone says otherwise, you can tell them to kiss your beautiful you-know-what! Be different, embrace your curves or your lack thereof, eat and stay healthy, wear makeup if you want to and dress in whatever makes you feel amazing. After all, if you don’t love yourself, who will?