I've been thinking a lot recently about appearance in today's society and how important it seems to be to everyone, including myself.
For example, I participated in a Dear World project (check out their website here) where we wrote messages that we felt were important on ourselves.
And even though my message was "you are enough," I was initially anxious to see my picture so I could determine if I looked 'good' or not, which is completely contradictory of my message. At the time, all I could think to myself was, "My hair looks really greasy" and "Do my shoulders look wide?"
Looking back, it seems crazy to me. I knew the point of the project was to inspire people and bring hope to those in need but I was consumed with these selfish thoughts about how others would see me. I'm beginning to understand how difficult it is to take your own advice sometimes.
While I love to write messages on my bathroom mirror like "Happy girls are the prettiest" and "Imperfection is beautiful," I continue to find myself spending too much time in front of that same mirror trying to erase any 'mistakes' I find.
While I'm not saying my obsession with appearance has completely disappeared, I'm really trying to enjoy my time on this Earth rather than obsessing over whether my hair looks good in a picture or not. I've started with looking at pictures as a way to capture a memory, rather than a potential Facebook profile picture. And speaking of Facebook, I've been fighting the urge to put every good picture of my friends and I on social media. Some memories I'm keeping just for myself.
