In a society, image is everything. You are judged from the people you hang out with, the things you do, the clothes you wear. People shout out that the boy sitting in the corner of gym class is too fat or whisper about how that girl down the hall is far too skinny. The head of the dance team is told she has one too many curves and should not be “poppin’ and lockin’” with so much confidence, yet the cheerleader is criticized for her petite stature and flat chest. The boy with the glasses? He gets bullied daily for his lack of social activity, meanwhile the football **** is faking his confidence and putting on a persona simply to hold up his high school reputation.
Children grow up with the assurance that beauty is on the inside, and that what is on the outside doesn’t matter, yet this statement has proven itself to be false time and time again. These children were lied to. You were lied to. I was lied to. The world is cruel. It is judgmental and ignorant. People are turned down their dream jobs over the most miniscule stupidities, such as the fact that they have a tattoo on their arm or because their hair is purple. You are judged at every corner of your journey, and your world will always revolve around the physicality of how you look.
No matter how many people believe that appearance is of little importance, there is always a whole world behind them willing to prove them wrong. But that doesn’t mean we cannot dream. Dream. That’s all it is. That promise that who you are on the inside is enough? It’s all a dreamful desire to look past the image your body presents. And if dreaming is the only hope we have at being seen as our true self, than you better believe I’m going to keep on dreaming.
Because of the picture society has set out for me, I’ve constantly looked in the mirror seeing nothing but a disappointment. Every day I find a new flaw, and every day, I realize I am even further from perfection. But if I can dream that who I am on the inside is enough, than maybe I can become one of the first perfect imperfections out there.
You see, I have never wanted to be perfect, nor do I want to now. Quite honestly, I don’t believe that perfection exists. It is a myth. And yet, everyone seems to be reaching to the stars, going out of their way to attain even the smallest ounce of this so called perfectionism. Whatever you are reaching for, stop. Stop and hear me out.
Beauty is neither from within nor without. Right is neither in this way nor in that way. And perfection is neither in your world or mine. Because we are one in the same. And the only way to be what our society is calling perfect is to be as imperfect as possible. Be yourself, because no matter what you do, I can promise you that you will be judged. With every step you take, expect a shadow to crawl up behind you and tell you are doing it wrong. Expect to be an outcast and to not fit in “perfectly.” Expect to be criticized and ridiculed, because it will happen anyways. Why are you going to strive to be perfect and risk losing yourself, when you can simply embrace each and every flaw to create the most beautiful imperfection possible? Don’t live to please others. Don’t strive to be perfect when perfection is nonexistent. Embrace what your mamma gave you and rock each imperfection like it is no one else’s business. Because in the end, this is your dream, and being the captain of your own voyage is the only way to make it worth it. It is the only way to become perfectly imperfect.