From a young age, the objective has been beauty

A beautiful body, a flawless face was what I aspired to

My course with preset to a perfect appearance

As I grew, I learned my role well

If I was pretty enough, I'd be more accepted

Thus stirring dispondence

The older I became, the more I saw of the world

The more I saw, of all the beautiful people on the screen, the more I looked inward

For the mirror never told the same story

To be thin is to be beautiful and for some that is an attainable goal

However, for a chubby, shy girl so unsure of myself, it was impossible

I couldn't match their glory

Though I was healthy, I wasn't skinny so I wasn't content

After all, if I'm not like the models in the magazines, then I couldn't be beautiful

I devoured this lie

It wasn't until I became an adult that I realized the true image of beauty

It only took a decade for my eyes to open to the truth

I didn't have to cry

All the crash diets and back breaking exercise routines weren't going to make me beautiful

And the comical self-deprecation to hide my insecurities wasn't cutting it either

Because my goal, I'd already met

Beauty is confidence in who you are and letting that light shine through

It's not a dress size, but a right as a human being for there is beauty in our imperfections

Perfect comparisons are not worth the sweat

My curves don't mask my beauty, but rather accentuate it perfectly

My height, my breasts, my every insecurity just another perfect brush stroke

I'm a masterpiece in my own right

Because true beauty comes from the pureness of your heart and the depths of your soul

For looks fade with time, but the kindness one shows and empathy one bears are immortal

If only I'd had this knowledge in hindsight

I might not have hated the mirror for as long as I did

I would have seen the beauty I thought it hid