We all have a preconceived notion of what makes a person beautiful, and many of our ideas are influenced by the media we see in our day to day lives. From the slim models that dominate magazine covers and commercials to the way we react to selfies posted online, our ideas of beauty are shaped and reshaped continuously.

Recently, there has been a giant surge in body positivity - the idea that you should love your body no matter what it looks like as long as you're happy. This movement was created as a way to combat the fact that during most of our lives, we are shown that only certain people are beautiful. The slim models you see everywhere are the ideal body, and if you don't have that ideal body, then you're not beautiful. But that idea is not only incredibly harmful to your mental state, but is wrong in and of itself.

Beauty is not defined by rules society has made up and deemed to be the road map to being considered beautiful by everyone else. You don't have to wear makeup to be beautiful. Conversely, if you wear makeup because it makes you feel beautiful or you just want to, or for any reason, really, then you're beautiful. You don't have to be a certain body type, or weigh a certain amount to be beautiful. You can be slim, heavy, curvy, or flat chested, and still be beautiful. Your skintone, age, gender, and fashion sense doesn't have to meet a certain standard to make you beautiful. If you love yourself and are confident in yourself, then you're beautiful. The end. You can look however you want, however, makes you comfortable, and be a beautiful person.

In regards to beauty, I feel like we focus more on the outer appearance than we do on what is inside. And while your outer appearance may be a contributing factor to your overall beauty, it isn't the only thing that makes you beautiful. A positive attitude and a good sense of character can also lead to you being considered beautiful. And if it were up to me, the inner characteristics of a person would be what we decided beauty by, not by our appearances.

We are all individual people who look unique, and that is the way it is supposed to be. Beauty is not achieved by looking like everyone else. Be yourself, love yourself, and be confident in yourself and that is all you need to be beautiful. Live your life how you want to, and you'll find that your inner confidence and self love will rise to the surface, and that's all you really need to be beautiful. Don't let society's skewed views on beauty fool you.