Somewhere along the way of scrutiny and time
I have been taught how to despise myself.
Look pretty, darling, so that you can belong to someone someday
Because that's what a woman really wants, right?
Oh, sweetheart, look pretty but don't feel pretty
Meet your skin and bones, hair and face
With conceited egoistic chorus
Sweetheart, self solicitude is a sin
Knowing how to wear joy is nugatory
If your body cannot wear that dress
Darling, you're the type of woman people don't look at
But they will stare at you if you don't follow their established echoic narcissistic accusations
You should mistake eyes for hands
Darling, why is your skin darker than an 'idealβ for a woman
Why are your hair shorter than your dignity
Why are your thighs fatter than your brain
Why is your bra strap showing
Darling, why are you, you
Darling,
You are made up of metaphors.
Darling, why is there a face on your pimples, don't let hormones fingerprint your face
But don't worry we'll get it all fixed
You haven't seen the actual you in years but
Darling,
It's not about you.
Sweetheart put on some lipstick
But not that red one, it's too pretty for you
Put on some perfume
But not a strong one, you don't want to attract attention
Put on some eyeshadow
But not that bright one, doesn't suit your skin tone
Darling,
Change this physicality
Oh, and that one, too
But don't you dare show yourself
You don't want to insinuate the term beautiful in regards to
A victim
Or a snack
Or
A woman.
Darling, how old will you have to be to realise
You need a 40+ skin miracle cream and not a 30+
How old will you be till you look like a skeleton who pulled on some skin
How old will you be
Till you realise being a woman does not make you a man to be seen like a man is
You,
Are a woman.
Because we are taught to live in a world where media pulls us out from the womb and and teaches us our first words
Fair and lovely
Fair and handsome
Pinched pretty pinched pretty
Female thin calm pretty
Male manly bold pretty
Darling, you
Are not a constant
You, are a variable
But, darling, you are not looking for a casket of fortune
You don't look for a diet to slim your passion down
You don't look for a mirror to examine your dreams
Darling
You
Are a thought
You're an idea
A proposition
An abstraction
Or maybe that's what everyone else is looking for.