"Mirror, mirror on the wall..."

A phrase many of us have heard since childhood. For those of you not quite up to speed on your fairytales - or maybe it's been a while since you heard/saw this one - it's the beginning of the question the evil queen in Snow White asks the mirror. Every day she asks the mirror who the fairest in the land is, confident that the answer will always be her. If you are at all familiar with the story, you know she does not take kindly to an answer other than herself as the fairest in the land. Her appearance is so important to her that it ultimately becomes her downfall.

Unlike the evil queen, we don't look in a mirror to be told that we are more beautiful than those around us. We do, however, tend to look in the mirror to judge our own appearance. If the reflection staring back at us is not what we want to see, we're upset. Desperate to consider ourselves and our reflection "beautiful", we can become fixated on it, wanting to do whatever it takes so see the image we want.

But what if we're looking into a broken mirror? I don't mean a literally broken mirror with a crack or chip. I mean a mirror imbued with societal standards of beauty. Through films, pictures, various degrees of body-shaming, and other forms of social media, we have been conditioned to equate beauty with perfection. In this case, the definition of perfection involves being fairly thin and free of so-called blemishes such as stretch marks or acne. Well media, here's a news flash for you: people aren't perfect. Not in the way you define it.

People don't have to be size 2 or smaller (but some people are). People don't have to have a flat stomach (but some people do). People can have scars (but you don't have to). People can be exactly as they are and not have tot change. We all possess beauty, we just don't all possess the mindset to see it. When we look in a broken mirror, we see everything society has deemed wrong. When we look into an unbroken mirror, we allow ourselves to see our true reflection. Looking past beauty standards we can see everything that is perfect about us. Because we all are perfect in our own way. Each of us were created with so much beauty - all that's left is for us to see it.

Without a doubt, it's easier to see the beauty in others than it is in ourselves. We are almost always our own harshest critics. It's okay to be a little critical and want to change your appearance. As long as the criticism and desire to look different stem from you - from how you want to look and feel in your own skin - and not from some comment someone made to you about losing weight or cutting your hair.

Though it's easier said than done, it's time to stop focusing so much on what we look like when we see our reflection. Just be yourself - style your hair the way you want to, wear clothes you like, and smile. Your beauty will shine through for everyone to see, regardless of whether you meet society's beauty standards. Stop looking at broken mirrors and find an intact one.