A Challenge

There's a lot of pressure in this world for girls to look perfect all the time. And it's dumb.  What even is "perfect?" It doesn't even exist. The media feeds you all these lies and images of what the "ideal" body looks like and what the "ideal" hair looks like and the "ideal" butt looks like.

It's garbage. Absolute garbage.

I feel like I'm a fairly secure person and am able to see through the junk the media feeds us. But there was awhile where I fell victim these hurtful messages. And I felt like I wasn't good enough because I didn't look the way I thought I was "supposed" to look.

I'm majoring in Exercise and Wellness and in many of my classes we've discussed health at every size and how every body needs different things, general wellness (hence the name of the major), etc.

So I made a goal this summer to be more accepting of myself. We are our own harshest critics.  I don't normally wear a lot of makeup anyway, but I made a conscious goal that I wasn't going to straighten my naturally wavy hair (or any other heat styling) and I wasn't going to wear makeup. I was just going to be myself.

And I tell you what, it was SO freeing.  I'm not opposed to doing your hair nice and wearing makeup because there are certainly times you want to look polished and nice and put together. But I don't think you need to cake on makeup and look like a plastic version of yourself everyday.

I wore makeup a total of three times over a seven week period. And I straightened my hair twice. The other days I just let my body do it's thang. I let my hair wave the way it waved and I left my face alone.

We went to visit my older sister in Florida for a few days and this is my favorite picture from that trip. It's my favorite because it's me. Plain old me. No makeup, no hair product, a flabby butt the media wouldn't deem "ideal" and all. Just damp, beachy, unkempt hair, no makeup, no nothing. Just me.

And now this is how I feel most beautiful.  When I put makeup on and look in the mirror I feel weird.

And I think that's awesome.

So I want to challenge anyone who reads this (Hi, Mom!) to go just a week without touching themselves up. I bet after that week you'll feel like putting on makeup and doing your hair is the biggest pain in the booty. Because it is. And guess what else? You'll probably like what you see. Because you're beautiful. Just the way you are. *Cue Bruno Mars*