Take a walk down my little town's Main Street, and you will pass 2 waxing centers, 3 nail salons, and 6 salons. There are skin treatment centers and brow bars, and the most recent addition to the block is a store for some kind of skin wrap that's supposed to instantly reduce the appearance of cellulite. Did I mention I live in a 4-square-mile town? Why does such a small community have such a high demand for businesses that claim to boost our appearances?

It's expensive to be a woman. Society is telling us we need to wax our brows, trim our hair, keep it slim, and "take care of ourselves." So if I intend to keep up with the beauty standards around me, I need to do some math.

$40 bikini wax, $135 highlights, $80 haircut, $35 manicure, $20 eyebrow wax, $99 gym membership, $50 facial, $60 massage, $150 dress....

I haven't even begun to discuss shoes, jewelry, makeup...you already get the picture with the $669 worth of stuff I have already listed. Plastic surgery has girls paying thousands upon thousands of dollars to cut their bodies open and manipulate their natural build. I work 40 hour work weeks and I don't make enough in a week to pay for just my small list, let alone rent and water and food...

Why is it so expensive? Why do I need all of these things? There's a societal standard to treat yourself and beautify yourself...but a little too much. I have often felt under so much pressure to blow my paycheck on the next big thing or fix something that isn't broken, and I'm fed up.

It's fine to treat yourself every once in a while, and I certainly am not going to cancel my gym membership any time soon. But someone else's standard does not need to dictate your paycheck. All costs aside, other people's beauty standards shouldn't make you feel obligated to change yourself. I don't want Sephora to disappear or for the salons/waxing centers/brow bars to go out of business, but I do want you to recognize your individual worth. These businesses are great, but it's easy to get way too caught up in the idea of bettering yourself instead of being yourself. You shouldn't go broke on someone else's opinion, which is truly meaningless when they don't see your beauty without it.