Slowly walking to the bathroom mirror, I mentally prepare myself for the reflection that is going to be staring straight back. Throughout this undeniable self-persecution, I look at myself as if I'm beastly and hideous. What I didn't know is that my chocolate skin, wide nose, thick thighs, acne filled face, and bouncy curls can also be denied by society.

How is beauty truly defined? As a Black teenage girl in America, there are so many judgments and assumptions directed my way. For example, a family member once told me that I am pretty, but that if my acne cleared I would be beautiful. Hearing those excruciating words come from her mouth made me feel even more insecure about myself than before.

What makes it even worse is that my family members said that she didn't mean anything by it, that she was only talking to talk. Ever heard of the saying, "drunken words are sober thoughts?" Yeah, I felt that part of what she said was true. Being denied and denying yourself can be tiring. This ongoing process is long and rough. When does it end?

In the spring, I attended a conference for a newspaper in Austin, where we sat in on short lectures held by journalists all over the nation. One lecture I can never forget was when we read stories from students in journalism. One story, stood out to me because it's relatable. The story, "For a Black girl… for a Black..." in short was about two friends discussing one another's girlfriends, one of the guy's girlfriends was Black and he was telling his friend and all his friend could say was that she was pretty for a Black girl. My mind automatically went to labels.

Some labels Black girls face are being loud, ghetto, pregnant at 16, and working in fast food restaurants as their career. Being Black is already a struggle in America with police brutality, conviction rates, unemployment, and education, but being a Black girl is an even bigger difficulty.

We are set for destruction since the beginning of time and what makes it even worse is that society is still allowing this destruction. Beauty is Black and Black is beautiful. Instead of tearing one another down and labeling, let's encourage and lift up each other.