Pretty

I'm not pretty. Don't try to say otherwise, this is not a debatable point, it's a fact. My face doesn't have the right shapes in the right places that modern society somehow decided looks good, and I know that. I don't have delicate features, tan skin, dark lashes or big eyes, but that's fine. I don't want to be pretty.

Now, if you are pretty, if you were by chance born with the right combination of genes that make your face somehow fundamentally more beautiful, don't take offence. Being pretty isn't a bad thing. Well, it isn't a good thing either. In fact, it really shouldn't be a thing at all, prettiness. Why did we decide that some random features were pretty, that certain faces are better looking than others?

When and why did we decide that this held any bit of importance in our lives? And how then, did we let it collect so much importance that society started to base real people's value on their faces, on their genes, on completely random factors that no one can control about themselves? We put way too much emphasis on the way we look, and it starts to influence our own ideas of self worth.

Advertisements surround us telling us how to lose weight fast, and smooth out our skin, and be prettier and more desirable. Our main goals in life should not be based on the idea of being desirable to anyone, we don't owe anyone anything, especially concerning the faces we were born with and can't change.

We don't tell little girls that they are inventive, or smart, or imaginative. We say 'you look so pretty!' and expect it to be the ultimate complement. Beautiful should not be our main focus, and pretty should not be our only compliment to one another.

Ask a little girl what she want's to be when she grows up. A doctor? A marine? No, she wants to be a princess. That's fine, princesses are great, but does she really want that? No. She wants to be a beautiful princess, and she wants all the boys to faun over her because she is so pretty.

If you want to try to make yourself pretty do it. Wear makeup if you want, dress up if you want, but do it for yourself, not for society, not to feel desirable, and not because you just feel compelled to. Never feel like less of a person because your face doesn't look 'pretty'.

Every time you think you aren't pretty, or struggle with body image issues, remember that beauty isn't actually real, we totally made it up. It doesn't really mean a thing. Strive to stand out because of your ideas, your feelings, your beliefs and passions. What is going on inside your head is so much more significant than the features on your face.