i was manufactured : : my time here hasn’t been worth while yet : : they pinch my waist to perfect hourglass figure with computers : : my little sisters buy waist trainers to look like me : : they paint my face like canvases : : i don’t recognize my reflection : : my best friends spend hours watching YouTube makeup tutorials to look like me : : school isn’t most important anyway : : if you’re pretty you’ll probably get somewhere in life : : you look like Emma Watson : : maybe you should try to be a model or an actress : : i walk on straight pins : : calves molded to perfection : : ignoring as i fall just as i get backstage : : rolled my ankle but i should still walk : : do it for the show : : strings attached to my wrists and ankles : : they think this is me

Author's Note: This poem was inspired by Evie Shockley's work and is my personal take on what the media has done to how women are perceived versus how we actually are.