Only “beautiful girls” get “beautiful boys”.

Only “beautiful girls” are told “I love you”

While being spun across an imaginary dance floor,

Gliding through the shimmering, imaginary ballroom

That haunts the thoughts of the rest of us.

Those of us who are not “beautiful” enough.

Those of us who dream of the day we get to dance

across that shimmering dance floor.

Those of us who dream of dancing until we hear that “I love you”.

Those of us who are still dreaming.

This is the lesson we are taught practically from birth,

The more “beauty” you have, the more influence you have.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but their eyes

Have been taught and trained to focus like a microscope

On one small, simple, and almost insignificant thing.

If you are the shy and “beautiful” girl,

You are the mysterious love interest of the lead in the

Sappy teenage romance movie.

But, if you are the shy but not “beautiful” girl,

you are the freaky little witch who doesn’t talk to people,

Or the weird girl who has alienated herself from society.

Only “beautiful girls” slay dragons.

Only “beautiful girls” embark on adventures

across foreign lands to save the world

While the embers of heroism catch the wind

Blowing through their hair and turn it into a flame of purpose.

The rest of us turn the wind in our hair into a small

Shred of confidence to hold onto, while we envision ourselves

Living out the lives of the heroines from our favorite stories.

We feel the pain of unrequited longing for adventure as it settles

Deep in our souls.

This is the lesson we are taught practically from birth,

Girls can get the guy, girls can fight the monster,

Girls can climb the mountain, Girls can rise to their ambitions,

And girls can lead an army.

But wait, wait wait,

Only “beautiful girls” lead the armies, only “beautiful girls” get respect.

They teach us from birth that “beauty” is power.

If you have it, you’re a conqueror of the wit of others,

If not, you’re a scheming snake, slithering into unwanted places.

Only “beautiful girls” are represented as respectable.

Only “beautiful girls” look at the TV screen and see the

Disney princess that looks just like they do, or

See the bold and heroic detective fighting crime,

the brave and risk-taking lawyer,

the respected and admired doctor,

The sweet and guiding teacher,

And think that they could be just like that someday.

The rest of us just see more and more roles

Made unattainable by a standard of beauty that stretches

Its suffocating hands out from the depths of the media

That we consume to strangle us

with the perception that we are not good enough.

The rest of us must be either smarter than everyone, undeniably funny,

Or be the outgoing person who drives around till two a.m. for no reason

Just to try to make up for not being the “beautiful” one.

This is the lesson we are taught practically from birth,

The actors and the actresses and the writers and the artists

And the photographers want only the best.

Because only true, perfect “beauty” will make people feel

Represented, yes?

A model with her skin so airbrushed it looks like a stone

That has spent hundreds of years being smoothed by the tide.

Now this, people will relate to!

This won’t push even the most “beautiful” of people into

A corner of self-loathing because they can never look like that!

Although if the point is to make us hate ourselves enough to buy

Their products, then well done my forward thinking friends!

Only “beautiful girls” can love themselves for who they are?

Only “beautiful girls” can try on any dress in the department store

and have the knowledge

That no matter what they do or wear, they’ll still get compliments,

They’ll still get attention.

The rest of us try every outfit in our closets, flinging clothes

Across the room in a whirlwind of desperation to make someone

Notice us.

This is the lesson we are taught practically from birth,

“Beauty” is what matters.

Everything else comes second.

You are only judged for not moving on from a girls beauty to her brains

Or her wit if she has beauty to move on from.

If not, she’s sitting in the corner alone eating the free shrimp,

Because, hey, why not? It's not like anyone’s going to notice it

if we get sauce on our dresses.

This dumb and pointless lesson is what causes us to grow up feeling

Like we are not enough.

Like there is only one brand of beauty, and if you are not it,

You might as well adopt a few more cats because girls you’re

Headed in that direction.

If only “beautiful girls” can be strong, and respected,

Then why do we bother trying?

It’s not like we’re going to see ourselves on TV winning a

Grammy or a best-supporting-actress award.

This is the lesson we are taught practically from birth,

Only “beautiful girls”

Can do beautiful things.

And we should not have to just be okay with that.

Because why should only “beautiful girls”

Be considered attractive, and fit to make a change.

They shouldn’t.

Beauty has many forms, don’t let the lessons you

Were taught as a child define what they are to you.