So one of my roommates just introduced me to a poem called "10 Honest Thoughts on Being Loved by a Skinny Boy" by Rachel Wiley. It was entirely eye opening so, I took a page from not only Rachel Wiley but also from my roommate and decided to write my own poem. It's kind of long, so please bare with me.

I am told I am Beautiful, that I am worthy.

5 pages later I am told I can lose 5 pounds

10 pages after that I am taught how to please a man

15 pages later I am taught tricks on how to "catch" said man

20 pages later I am taught how to make my skin look poreless, and fresh using 20 different products

I no longer feel beautiful

I no longer think I am worthy

I take these words apart analyzing them, studying them making them my new bible

Praying to Cosmo, and Glamour that I too can look like the girls in the covers

The beautiful glossy girls

Who are worthy

Who 5 pages later don't need to lose 5 pounds

Who 10 pages later don't need to be taught how to please a man

Who 15 pages later don't need to learn how to "catch" a man

Who 20 pages later don't need to learn how to make their skin look poreless since it already is

I watch my friends as we all look in the mirror analyzing our bodies tearing apart our insecurities in front of each other

I like to use the term that I am a potato

I laugh like I'm joking

I'm not

Because according to Cosmo and Glamour

I am not beautiful

I am not worthy

I could lose 5 pounds

I could learn how to please a man

I could learn how to catch a man

I could learn to make my skin look poreless

I am taught this everywhere I look

That having poreless skin, and being thin, and having a man is all that matters

That my single goal in life is my looks, and my relationship status

It should be on my studies

On what my goals are in my career

I should not be defined on how many likes, or retweets, or favorites I get on a photo

I should not be defined as a number on a scale

I will not be defined by a magazine

An inanimate object that has only the voice I give it

I will not let someone define who I am by my looks, or my relationship status

I don't need to lose 5 pounds

I don't need to learn how to please a man

I don't need to learn how to catch a man

I don't need to make my skin look poreless

"I say 'I am fat', and he says 'no, you are beautiful', and I say 'why can I not be both'?"