Daughters

It can be surprisingly easy to pick ourselves apart. I see girls and guys doing it every day. There is a big risk in making yourself vulnerable and opening yourself up to the “world wide web” by showing your face. You can come under scrutiny for the smallest things. We are used to seeing our flaws, but I know that sometimes they can become all we see, especially when we have people we don’t even know helping to point them out. This goes beyond the physical spectrum into emotional and mental health, and it’s important that we all know how to separate unnecessary cruelty from how we see ourselves.

I see women verbally tearing their bodies apart, limb by limb, freckle by freckle and it hurts. When did we become such a self-loathing culture, and why do we continue to feed into these “norms” that really aren’t? I am guilty of it.. But when I catch myself starting to pick myself apart, I look at my mother. Weird, right?

I have never seen daughters look at their mothers and say they were ugly. To us, our mothers are pinnacles of strength and beauty. They are our friends, confidants, coaches and teachers. I can’t possibly tear myself apart when I see all the similarities between my beautiful, strong mother and myself.

I have her nose and her jawline. There is so much similar to a person I have always seen as the most beautiful woman I know. So how does it make sense to point out these similarities and then proceed to rip them apart? Perhaps my standards have been placed in the wrong category. I will never be Kim Kardashian, Heidi Klum or Miranda Kerr. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t beauty to be found in exactly who I already am.

The internet, media, strangers of all kinds will take a lot of pleasure in picking out flaws. Blame it on whatever you like, but it needs to stop. We are all someone’s daughter, someone’s son, we are all beautiful to someone. It is important to remember that when you are struggling with your reflection.

In an age where the world is becoming smaller and smaller as we become more connected, I am hoping that people will start to realize that beauty isn’t always black and white. It deserves some color.

I am proud to be my mother’s daughter.