We live in a society today where beauty is such a prominent aspect in how people see others. We have such a skewed sense of what the word beauty really means. We have so many images in the media portraying what a person supposedly has to look like in order to be beautiful. These images that are portrayed in the media are such unrealistic expectations of what a person is able to accomplish. These images, while unrealistic, also show one aspect of a person as well, only shows one way that beauty can be shown- physical appearance.

These images in the media portray females that are super thin with just the right amount of curves and men with muscles that are super defined. These images are usually photoshopped to look absolutely stunning- they photoshop any imperfections of the skin or body out of the picture. These images, they show body types that the media tries to tell society are the only body types that are attractive. These body types are being shown to us and are told that these are the only body types that are beautiful. These images leave out so many other body types, as well as so many other aspects that make a person beautiful.

These images are what cause so many people to have eating disorders.

These images are what cause so many people to have self-esteem issues.

These images are what cause so many people to be judged for the way they look.

These images are what cause so many people to try to change themselves as much as possible.

These images are completely wrong in the messages that are being sent to those who see it.

Why should beauty be defined by the size of your body?

Why should beauty be defined by how fit you are?

Why should beauty include only one body type?

Why should beauty only include physical attributes?

These questions are all answered by this statement: physical beauty is not defined by what others say it is. Physical beauty is defined by how confident a person is in how they look and how they feel about themselves.

Beauty is also not defined solely based on how a person looks. Beauty is also based on a person’s personality. In order to be beautiful, one must also have a charming personality. The personality, to be charming, must also include confidence in one’s self in order to become beautiful.

The media needs to quit skewing the true meaning of beauty, and society needs to expand its ability to see what true beauty really is.

For the largest portion of my life, I’ve been a bigger girl. I’ve always had a bigger build than other girls my age. I also was one of the kids that had a growth spurt early in childhood, so for a good bit of my childhood, up until about middle school, I was taller than most of the kids my age. Always being bigger, I’ve had my share of being bullied for the way I look. To this day, I still have comments made about my looks. I used to let the comments get to me, and the comments used to really affect the way I looked at myself. These comments used to destroy my self-esteem. I try not to let these comments change the way I look at myself anymore. I’ve let myself take my past and grow from the comments that have been made. I’ve let myself come to realize what true beauty is all about. I’ve come to realize that the way that I look does not make me any less beautiful than someone else who may be skinnier than what I am. Though I may be heavier set, I realize that even though I have work to do on how I look, I’ve let myself become confident in who I am and how I look. This confidence that is growing within me is what makes me beautiful. I don’t have to fit the standards of what media tells me I must fit into to be beautiful. Neither does anybody else. While comments about my weight and my appearance still get to me, they don’t influence me anywhere near as much as they used to. I’m becoming more confident in how I look, and I’m confident in my caring personality. I am becoming confident in being the best me that I can be, and nobody can take that away from me. Nobody can tell me that I’m any less beautiful than any other person simply because of how I look. That’s not the point of beauty.

I hope that every single other person can see the best aspects of themselves, and see how truly beautiful they are and how truly beautiful they can become.