Well maybe not 21 years exactly but for as long as I can remember I've known what a woman was "supposed" to look like. I also know that I was not that image. I have never fit in that box of perfection, but after almost 22 years of living, I can confidently say I don't want to be that image.
We teach girls from a young age what they are supposed to look like when they grow up.
My childhood was consumed by Barbies and Disney Princesses. With their perfect skin, nonexistent waist, round rear-ends and perky chest-- we were all being set up for failure. These unattainable goals set girls on a quest for perfection that would stay with them for years to come.
Fast forward to puberty. Every girl and boy's most uncomfortable years of existing. This is when we became hyper-exposed to the media. Supermodels and our favorite television stars were all living Barbies. How could we not feel the need to continue striving for perfection? High school is scary enough as it is without the pressures of fitting in and being judged on appearance.
Then we arrive in college. You think the world has changed and you can be who you are-- finally. Welcome, social media. Instagram does an amazing job of flaunting college women in bikinis and, once again, showing us how we are supposed to look. And to be honest, for the first three years of college, I wanted to be these girls. I was desperate to have everyone think I was sexy, beautiful, and perfect. For whatever reason, I thought this was all that mattered.
NEWSFLASH! It doesn't. It took me long enough to learn, but I finally realized my friends don't care what size jeans I wear or what I look like in a bikini.
No one ever told me that I can’t be happy with who I am, so why wouldn't I be?
I am most disappointed that it took so many years of starving myself and hating my reflection in the mirror to finally come to terms with my own beauty. With the help of my loving friends, family and an incredibly supportive boyfriend I have learned my self worth. I will no longer be defined by the numbers on a scale or the likes of an Instagram.
