“You don’t have to be perfect to be attractive. You don’t have to be skinny to be pretty. And you definitely don’t have to look like the models on TV to be beautiful.” Body-shaming, racism, being ridiculed just because of some pimples on your face...I honestly don’t understand where the world is going with the concept of real beauty. What is beauty to us? A slim body, a face full of make-up for girls? And a muscular body, an attractive face for boys? Is that what beauty really is? I definitely don’t think so.

In today’s world, our personality and reputation depends on how we look, isn’t? The people with a darker shade of skin are not trustworthy, they’re criminals and people with no humanity. If you’re a little on the fat side, you’re a lazy human being who doesn’t know how to work hard, right? Today, there is a stereotype for almost each and every group of people who are not like the others, who are a little different. And do you know what’s the problem with that? These prejudiced groups of people begin to forget who they really are, they begin to believe their self-worth is attached to how people think of them. And that is absolutely pathetic. It’s pathetic how you’re not beautiful if you’re not fair. It’s pathetic that you’re not pretty if you’re a girl with a boy cut. And it’s pathetic that “the girls are not interested in you” if you’re a boy who is a little short. It’s pathetic, really. And I really feel it’s high time that we change the concept of beauty, what beauty really means to us.

Our society has set so many unrealistic standards of beauty. And sadly, men and women alike are willing to go any number of miles to reach these standards. They are scared that being different, or more specifically, being their own self will bring them shame in the society. And I have to say what a dumb society we have! Instead of telling them that it’s a privilege to be different, we have murders taking place just because a person is black in color. The make-up advertisements and types of plastic surgeries itself stand as testimony that we are making people believe that they need to be perfect, that they need to look like the winner of the last beauty contest.

Things have to change. And that too, in a drastic way. People should be proud of themselves, no matter tall or short, thin or fat. They should be taught to always remember that they are beautiful, that they are God’s masterpiece. They should know that even if their hair is way too curly, or if their nose is a bit crooked and their teeth are not in line, they are exactly how they are meant to be, even without straightening their hair or putting braces. According to me, there is no specific definition for beauty, because beauty is there in every skin color, in every shape and size, and in every body. There is not one person on this earth that is not beautiful. And I think they deserve to know it too.

In a nutshell, I would say that the beauty standards that we have set up is one of the most destructive things in the world. It destroys a person who is a slightly different from them. And it breaks their heart, that according to the world, they are not “beautiful.” But what I think everyone should know is that beauty is in the heart. It’s how pure your soul is. It’s not about having silky hair or a lot of muscles. Because no matter how physically attractive you are, if you’re mentally ugly, there is no point. So to everyone reading this, there is only one thing that I have to say: You are beautiful. And I mean that. There’s no need to change even 1% of you. As someone said, “Beauty is not flawless, it’s something that shines even through your flaws.” Keep being you and stay unique, because that really is your super power.