Dear Snapchat,

First off, just wanted to say that I like your app. I enjoy sending ugly, no makeup, double-chinned photos to my friends on a Monday afternoon. I am also a big fan of posting embarrassing stories that I think are funny, but no one else probably does. I am not, however, a fan of some of the filters that you provide, and I'll tell you why.

I don't mind having my eyes made larger for the sake of looking like a bee, or having other features changed for silly filters. But, stop editing ME. When it comes to the filters that are supposed to make me look "prettier," and make my skin look smooth, don't make my eyes or smile bigger in the process. Don't make my jawline more defined or my cheekbones stand out so that my face looks slimmer. That's not who I am.

How can people expect us to be able to embrace and be proud of the way that we look when there is such an accepted platform that will change us so easily? Companies put hundreds of thousands of dollars into campaigns to promote self-positivity, especially in young females, and yet, it can all be negated with a simple Snapchat filter. They look at themselves in the camera screen and see how they're "supposed" to look with perfect skin, rotund eyes, defined eyebrows, wide smile, white teeth, and a slender face. But, that's not what everyone looks like, and that's more than okay.

I have chubby cheeks, small eyes, a thin upper lip, and not a care in attempting to change it. Why try? I am me and you are you. You are beautiful and made in the image of the Lord. You are a canvas of artwork; every line and scar and bump makes up one thing: you. Don't look to change who you are to fit the absurd assumption that we all need to look like a model. Use Snapchat filters because they make you feel good about yourself, or that you like feeling like a Disney princess with a butterfly crown. But don't use them because they change an aspect about yourself that you're unhappy with.