“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
I have a secret for you. It’s a pretty well-kept secret; you might not want to hear it. Don’t let anyone know I told you. Okay? Are you ready? Are you sure? Okay, here it is…
You are perfect just the way you are, imperfections and all.
BC has the reputation of having a student body straight out of a J.Crew catalogue, and in many cases, it’s true. But this causes a proliferation of the need to be perfect, which is not helped by the media, marketing industry, and cosmetic companies. With so much pressure to look a specific standard and ideal, many people forget to stop and think about how wonderful they already are!
It always amazes me how girls can come out of the Plex after a long workout looking like they are ready to go out, without a hair out of place or a trace of sweat on their brow. I am definitely not one of these people. I look more like I’ve been swept up in a tornado and baked in the desert. I am by no means perfect.
I have a small scar above my left eye from crashing into a tree sledding when I was younger. One of my eyes is smaller than the other. My front teeth, while straightened with braces, are large and beaver-like. Freckles cover my nose. My thumbs are different shapes and sizes. I have baby hands. My skin is pale. Bruises always cover my arms and legs. I wear glasses. I have curves. The words that come out of my mouth often aren’t English or any discernible language for that matter. I mumble. I’m extremely sarcastic. I trip on my own feet. I’ve fallen in puddles, off stadium benches, down stairs, and up stairs. I squeak when I giggle. I turn red when talking to a crowd. I am not a size zero.
It’s taken me a long time to realize it, but it’s these things that make me imperfect that make me… me. I’ve struggled with body image issues almost my whole life, never willing to admit to myself that this was the body I was given and this is the body I should love. I remember avoiding mirrors in the ninth grade and convincing myself I was not good enough. I remember constantly wishing I were someone else. And yet, I always kept these thoughts to myself, trapped in my own toxic self-hate. But in the past year or two I’ve realized, what’s the point? I have so many more things in my life to be thankful for, rather than wish they weren’t there. I am healthy, I have a wonderful family and friends, I’ve been given amazing opportunities in life, and I’ve learned I can brighten people’s day with just my smile. So I may never be a Victoria’s Secret model, but you know what? I’m okay with that.
Why strive for perfection if it’s just an endless journey? More importantly, why look for perfection when you already have everything one needs to have a wonderful, happy life? Longing for things we wished we had only makes us forget the things multitude of beautiful traits we already have. The truth is, we are all already perfect. Being who we are makes us real and unique. How boring our world would be if we all wore the same things, spoke the same, had the same beliefs, and did the same actions. There’s only so long you can live being who people think you should be; start being who you want to be and who you actually are. It is, in reality, our imperfections that make us perfect.
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