Growing up in the internet age, influencers have affected the lives of girls my age greatly. Whether it be about our skin, our hair or our bodies, this notion of “perfect” has ultimately led me — and many other girls — to lose both themselves and their confidence. But as much as even I try to strive towards perfection, I try to realize that there really is no such thing.
It’s true. Although I see all these women with long legs, smooth skin and tiny waists through social media, this isn’t “perfect.” The media has allowed viewers to believe this is the true definition of perfection, that this is the standard and if you are not up to par, then you are inadequate. This, then, creates a wave of girls striving to achieve and conform to this ideal type, but in the process compromise who they are.
What many women, including myself, find hard to understand is that each person has their own unique, ideal self. Each person is perfect in their own way and has their own definition and idea of perfection. Once people reject this idea of conforming to society’s view of perfection and begin to strive for their own ideal self instead, self-acceptance can begin to increase.
Figuring out your ideal self is the start; determining what you must do to get there comes next. For example, if your ideal self is to become a lawyer, you could figure out the steps needed to get there in order to reach this ideal self.
I’m not going to say it’s a quick and easy journey, as I’m still figuring out all the logistics for myself. Through the process of self-acceptance, other factors such as self-confidence and truly loving yourself come with it. When you accept yourself, you are ultimately resisting to conform to anybody else’s definition of “perfect” or ideal.
I think one major realization that we need to make when trying to reach self-acceptance is that it isn’t about how we look, but rather how happy we are. Are you happy about who you are? How you treat others? The decisions you make?
This can sometimes be hard if you know you’re not always being the best you can be or not always making the best decision. But, as I said, this is a process — and it isn’t a quick one.
Something I found that has helped me look at my life and myself in order to determine these factors is writing or journaling. Even just writing about my day, the things I did or may have thought has helped. I recently started making a list of little things I can do for myself every day to remind myself that I’m perfect in my own way.
There will never be an article about how someone has achieved perfection, as it doesn’t exist. The journey you take towards self-acceptance and self-confidence can amount to be one of the most uplifting and rewarding journeys in your life. Take what I say with a grain of salt, but remember everyone’s definition of “perfect” is different, so don’t let someone else’s interfere with your ideal self.