I’m sick of the misconception that perfection is beautiful. And so is Kendrick Lamar as he states in his latest song "HUMBLE."

“Show me somethin' natural like a$$ with some stretch marks.”

His words resonate with me as I have stretch marks on my butt and I often wish that they weren’t there. I apply lotion every day with cocoa butter, hoping that one day I will wake up and they won’t be there anymore.

They will always be there.

Hollywood culture has infiltrated everyone’s world in a way that it never has before. Through no fault of our own, it is nearly impossible for us to not see what the Kardashians are up to, or to catch a glimpse of some Instagram model who everyone is currently praising. We see this on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, television, and we even hear about it on the radio. We can see airbrushed models posing on billboards as we drive. We pick up a magazine as we wait for the doctor and are immediately faced with an impeccable female body dancing on the cover in her lacy lingerie. Sometimes, we intentionally look at these women out of curiosity. We all conjure up the same question. Why can’t I look like that?

Society makes it quite hard for us to not see perfection as the norm. When you see perfection and you believe it to be real, you wonder how or why you were cheated of it. If perfection can exist so frequently, why on earth was I cursed with so many flaws? This is a question I ask myself all the time. I am burdened by the fact that I am not flawless.

But then, when I’m deep in thought, I remember the undeniable truth pertaining to beauty. Perfection is not real. What we see, and what is, are two different things.

To begin with, there is Photoshop. Photoshop allows photographers to polish away the bruises, the cellulite, the scars, and the stretch marks. And of course, there is make-up. In America, we have false eyelashes, fake tans, hair extensions, eye-brow implants, Botox, butt implants, breast lifts, and hair dye, to name only a few. Lastly, it is important to remember there is such thing as good lighting and even better angles when taking photos (or selfies.)

That isn’t to say that any of these enhancements are bad or wrong. I will admit that I have even partaken in some of these beauty techniques. It is the idea that they are necessary to be beautiful that is bad and wrong. They can mess with your psyche if you forget that they exist and mistake falsity for authenticity. It is important to always remember that humans are not born perfect, even if on the surface or from far away that is what it seems like.

During my moments of self-doubt, I contemplate what beauty means to me and what I am attracted to as a real girl. I always come up with characters and things that come from what can be defined as perfection. In fact, it is the quirky individuals that attract me the most. They are never perfect.

I know I am not the only one who feels this way. Unique blemishes, crooked teeth, freckles, human skin, veins, loud laughter, and funny toes are all beautiful.

YOUR STRETCH MARKS ARE NORMAL. They represent your growth and journey. They tell your story in the same manner a scar does.

Air-brushed skin looks like plastic and veiled facial expressions are not beautiful. They are fake. It is vital for us women to remember that.