Society has gotten to be really good at telling us women all the things we are not. Not pretty enough or skinny enough; not this or that. In their eyes, you are not a lot of things. But you are not for them to decide. They forget to mention that you are not what people think of you, including themselves. You are not a cookie-cutter mold of what society has decided is “perfect”. You are not the criteria of anyone else. You are, however, one in a million. And even the critics can’t argue that.
It’s crazy to think, that our “pretty meter” is based on the amount of exterior compliments received or the amount of jealousy you can evoke. There’s nothing beautiful about either of those instances. So when did we decide, that our beauty was measured in the amount of uncomfortable emotions we can create in everyone else? When did we decide that making others self-conscious is what constitutes as “beautiful” criteria?
You are what you love, not what loves you in return. There is no beauty in approval, and there’s no purpose in searching for it. Be you and all the things that set you on fire. Be everything you love– unrequited or not. There is SO much beauty in your design. You were hand-crafted, after all.
There are thousands of body types, hair colors, and face shapes. There are a few hundred different eye colors and coordinating structures. A rainbow spectrum wouldn’t be enough to count the possible shades of skin. But there’s one you. And one strategically manufactured combination of these assets. There are a million different ways to pair genetics, but only one of those ways, produces the reflection you see every morning. I don’t know about you, but it sounds like a lot of mathematics that went right. You are the coolest answer to an impossible math problem. And you are certainly much more than science could ever explain. You are in a classroom, where everyone should feel confident enough to raise their hand. Because every solution to the genetic equation is correct. There’s no wrong answer. But you aren’t some subject of study, and you definitely aren’t a subject of society.
Our societial “norms” have fallen so far off the realistic spectrum, damaging women’s perspective by the millions. Many young women feel categorized as “second best” after watching a select 1% of the World’s population grace the runways, billboards, and magazine covers—as if they are an accurate representation of the remaining 99%. It’s easy to forget how abnormal these false pedestals are, especially when we are globally subjected to such an epidemic. We forget there’s a cure.
The cure is authenticity. And no, this does not mean that the exceptionally thin body frames are not authentic. It simply means that the industry, as a whole, needs to practice authentic behavior. Authentic representation. Finding, selecting, and highlighting 1% of what our human race looks like is not authentic. Every body type is original—you are one in a million. To be honest, it’s time you start living like it. It’s time to change your course. The pressure’s been real, and society can’t fool you for much longer. But with pressure, comes diamonds. And who doesn’t love a little sparkle? If you are what you love, then you’re not just a gem, but a truly treasured, raw, and uncut diamond. Go ahead, pressure us. See what happens.
Joe Jonas’ newly released single, “Toothbrush”, stars one of our favorite models– (and one day early, but forever #WCW) Ashley Graham. Her career took off shortly after gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated, making her the first Plus Size model to defeat their standards. Her authenticity and passion for the cut-throat modeling industry has been a truly remarkable journey to follow—changing the game forever. While her presence in high fashion has inspired many, her appearance should not be out of the ordinary. Herself, along with many other beautiful body shapes, deserve the stage equally as much as what society has chosen as “the norm”. She is speaking for millions of beautiful women – even more so than the women who meet the so-called standard “model criteria”. She is gorgeous, confident, and truly loves the skin she’s in. She’s invincible. She’s found the cure, and she told the world.
But you are one in a million. So don’t be pretty like her. Be pretty like you.
xoxo, The Mermaids
originally posted May 24, 2016