Allison

 

When I was younger,

they told me that

Beauty

is in the eye of the

Beholder.

I thought that

perhaps

everyone was beautiful

inside and out,

even if they didn’t

look like it.

Everyone was perfect

in their own way;

one decided

how they were going

to view themself.

But as I grew up,

I slowly realized that

Beauty

wasn’t truly

in the eye of the

Beholder

but in the eye

of Society.

I used to be confident

as a kid,

thinking that beauty

didn’t matter,

that only the amount

of kindness in the

world

really made a difference.

Twelve years,

thirteen,

fourteen years old

rolled by and it

struck me.

Society decided

who had a pretty face,

who had the best makeup,

the flawless image.

I was sucked

into magazines

advertising girls

with unimaginable bodies,

with flawless skin,

perfect hair,

makeup.

I fell into

Society’s grasp,

tripped over its roots,

captivated by its trap.

I used to see Beauty

in almost everything.

Later on I saw

nothing but beauty in

everything else

but me,

and I struggled with

issues of body image.

It affected me,

changing how I thought

of the world

around me,

of who I was.

I didn’t have a flat stomach,

thin limbs,

visible cheekbones,

flawless skin.

I compared myself

to models,

to the magazines

that advertised unachievable

images,

the Instagram posts

with skinny women.

I thought that I

was ugly,

not as pretty as the other

girls I knew.

I thought that I was flawed

because I fell

into Society’s trap.

I got into makeup,

fashion,

hair, nails.

I thought I needed

makeup

to be beautiful.

 

Everything that I thought

was a lie.

Beauty is decided

by the Person,

not Society.

I am beautiful in ways

I never imagined

before,

in ways I never

thought I was

when I focused on others

instead of me.

They were right.

Beauty is in

the eye of the

Beholder,

and it is

not ini Society’s power

to pick and choose

the people they determine

as beautiful.