Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I'm honestly saddened and angry. Not because I'm unhappy with the reflection staring back at me but because I'm upset with the way society has set me up to view myself. When I look in the mirror, my eyes immediately spot the flaws. I have bags under my eyes. I see flab spilling out from under my bra strap. And my hair is frizzy and out of control.

These are the things I don't see. The beautiful eyes that I got from my father. The tan skin I have from my beautiful mother. And the crooked, bright smile that makes me. I don't see these things because I have been continuously told to look for flaws and immediately try and tweak them.

This is wrong and not the way we or the world should be viewed.

For many years, society has provided us with a plethora of words to describe our flaws and "unseemly" appearances. One word breaks my heart more than any other. Fat. One small world. Three letters. But this letter can tear a person's world apart. Only recently has society started to provide words that not only use a bit more of the alphabet but lift a person up rather than tearing them down. The sad thing is, we have known these words for a long time but have been brainwashed into ignoring them.

Beautiful. Vibrant. Radiant. Commanding. Alluring. Amazing.

Weight is irrelevant. Weight is a dumb number that has too much power. Your body is your own and if you want to shed a few pounds, do it for you. If you want to gain weight, do it for you. If you love exactly how you look, embrace it because it is your life and your body, and you get every say in it.

To all of my beautiful, vibrant, and commanding women out there. Stop letting that stupid three lettered word control your life and instead search for different, more accurate adjectives to describe your beautiful self.

This world needs you. Every single vibrant bit of you.