Dear Little Girl,

I know you have grown up seeing images everywhere of what society considers ‘perfect’. I also know that you want nothing more than to fit inside that category. But, the one thing you may not learn from TV, the Internet, or even the mean kid at school is that you are already perfect.

The interesting thing about humans is that no two are exactly alike. Even if you look exactly like someone else, there will always be something different between the two of you. What society and the media doesn’t always tell you is that these differences make you special. The fact that everyone is different makes everyone special in his or her own way.

As you grow up, you are probably not going to like everything about yourself, and that’s okay. You may feel the need to spend hours on your hair to get it just right or you may think you need to put on layers and layers of makeup to cover up any imperfections, but you don’t. You don’t need to try and change your hair to make it look like everyone else’s hair. You don’t need to wear so much makeup. Everyone’s face has imperfections. Chances are wearing too much makeup will be even more noticeable than the imperfections themselves.

One of the most important things you can learn is to do what makes you feel comfortable. Just because all your friends are wearing makeup doesn’t mean you have to. If you are comfortable not wearing makeup, then don’t. If all your friends are straightening their hair but you like your curly hair, then you rock those curls. I wish I had embraced my curly hair at a young age instead of damaging my hair with a straightener every day for at least 5 years.

Above everything else, no matter what you do, be yourself. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t good enough for something, and if they do, prove them wrong. You may not see yourself as perfect, but your imperfections are the things that make you perfect.