I remember the first time I realized what being "pretty" really meant. I was always a blonde haired, white eyebrowed, freckled, sunburnt child. I was not a what the world would describe a cute kid as...Infact, I was the complete opposite and found myself outside more playing on hay bales and feeding horses than prancing around with my Barbies.
It was just like any shopping day, mom went to get groceries, and I was looking for ring pops at the check stand...I remember spotting This magazine blocking my view with a Barbie girl..or at least she looked like her and all I could think about was Barbie is a real person. Flipping page by page, I was bombarded with fake after fake but beautiful...beautiful in a deceitful way but of course I was too young to understand. I remember it was then, the first time I noticed myself as not pretty, that I need makeup, I need nails, tan skin, long hair and eyelashes and straight teeth and skinny but not Boney..At age 7 only 7. Everyday I looked in the mirror, more and more disappointed than the last. I will never be accepted as attractive in this society. Growing up with pretty friends took a toll on my self esteem. I have crooked teeth, I'm not tall, I'm too fat, zit here, scar there, and worst of all, Guys came to me to get my friends numbers.
10 years later, I am that same girl, that same girl with a new story. My story is this...one you have all heard before that taught me a great lesson. Looks are just part of you, but your heart makes up all of you. A pretty face doesn't give you success, but hard work does. Being on the front page of a magazine doesn't buy you beauty, but a kind heart does. And in the end we will all be old and wrinkly, so don't worry Nicole, don't worry that you aren't on 17's magazine because remember, you're more important than you think you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment