Although it took decades, I have finally realized that not everyone, including myself, can be drop dead gorgeous. I’m not the girl with the beautiful hazel eyes, perfect round jawline and exquisite narrow nose. For years, I have been struggling with the realization that there is a large majority of people that may not find me attractive. At first, this realization did upset me because I wanted to be that girl who had 4 or 5 gorgeous guys follow her around like puppy dogs! (Yeah, I watched WAY too many RomComs when I was younger). As a nine year old, I had envisioned my high school life to be full of receiving sweet and flattering attention from the opposite sex, but only if I was “that” girl. Needless to say, I will NEVER be “that” girl! As I get older, I am realizing that not being seen this way is quite okay. There are so many women who strive, even going as far as changing their physical appearance, to look like models, actresses or even music artists who are perceived in “that” way. But why should we try to look like someone with no rare essence or features? Also, who gave media and entertainment the privilege to choose what is considered beautiful and what is not? We should not have to feel that the only way to feel good about ourselves is to try to mirror the looks of a self absorbed pop star or model that probably went under the knife and lied that they were “born with their face”. Let’s stop this repetitive cycle of craving to look like these people on television and despising our own physical flaws! Our physical flaws make us powerful and unique when we cherish them. It can be easy to get down on yourself and negatively talk about something you may not like about your body. Instead, try to accept that you were born with it and make it something positive. There is nothing wrong with being unconventional and not looking like an airbrush model out of a magazine.
One person that I truly respect for sticking to her own rules and not breaking down to society’s standards of beauty is Barbara Streisand. Many in Hollywood advised her that getting a nose job would substantially aid her career. Although this “advice” may have been tempting for Barbara, she continued to stay true to herself and kept her unique nose. Not only was her powerful resolve a needed wake up call for those in the movie industry, it also inspired another talented woman, Lea Michele, to show the same respect for her genetic nose. Another influential woman who had the strength to accept her unconventionality was Audrey Hepburn. Living in an era that honored a full- figured physique, Audrey had the confidence to say, “There is more to sex appeal than just measurements…. I can convey just as much sex appeal, picking apples off a tree or standing in the rain.”
In conclusion, I always thought that there was only one type of beauty and that only others could judge if someone is beautiful. Now, I understand that everyone is beautiful in their own way and that I do not need compliments from others to feel beautiful. Personally, the true meaning of beauty is to able to look in the mirror and be content with what you look like and who you are. Contrary to what Beyonce says, it is okay not to feel flawless as long as you see the greatness in your flaws!
