Google Definition – A combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form; that pleases the aesthetic sense, especially the sight.
Okay now define beauty from social media and society perspective.
Skin colour (Light skin is better than dark skin), good hair (have to be neat; you cannot afford to have bad hair day), sharp nose (Thanks to surgeons and filters) toned body (bring them diets in) perfect pink lips (thanks to fillers) and the list goes on. This definition of beauty has only brought pain and negativity in our lives. If you do not agree stop reading 😊.
We are trying too hard to fill in the gaps that our society and social media want to see us as. This is only damaging our mental health, the early we understand the true meaning of beauty you will live a carefree, happy life. It is nice to dress up, put on makeup, and have toned body but it is also okay to not put on any makeup, wear what you comfortable in and eat whatever you wish by not worrying about the Instagram body/face/fashion (no fats, no stretch marks, no spots and scars on the face, perfectly dressed) Who are we kidding?
Storytime
I grew up confident, happy, and had a very self-high-esteem. In every room I walked in I always made sure the attention was on me. I started using social media to post pictures of me and my life, the likes boosted my confidence (very sad right *laughing*). In my mid 20’s everything went crashing down for me; I started suffering from adult acne which was unstoppable at that time. According to social media and society, I was not beautiful anymore. I tried every beauty product I could find on the internet and home remedies that would promise for the acne to vanish. I stopped going out, stopped posting pictures, and even avoided going to work. It carried on for over 6 months which affected my life negatively. I felt ugly, went from high to low self-esteem, and cried myself to bed. I spent more time researching how to get rid of the acne and scars (In my head I was already a dermatologist without qualification lol).
One day I decided to put a stop to this and posted a picture on social media of me with no makeup. The number of negative comments I received which didn’t help. People I met asked what happened to my face! How could I forget the definition of beauty was a face with no spots. It affected my mental health, I started suffering from anxiety and could only think of negative scenarios. It started affecting my relationships with my family, and friends. This is when I realised I got to seek help.
I had to accept that I am suffering from my mental health. I also had to understand the true meaning of beauty and the skin issue is just external, and it will fade away. I also had to remind myself social media is not my life. We do not need any validation from others about our beauty. My skin type, my body, my skin tone, my LIFE.
Please bring awareness to young women and men on the true definition of beauty. Beauty starts with self-love. Do not worry about what others think of your looks. Social media’s perfect picture/life is filled with filters also remember people will avoid positing negative content this does not mean their life is perfect and have no ups and downs. We all come in different shades of skin tone, different hair types, body shapes, etc. Embrace what you have and not let someone else define what beauty is. Everyone is beautiful at least in the eyes of your creator. Be kind to everyone, compliment others, help everyone grow higher. ‘You never know what someone is going through. Seek help if you feel low, talk about it, do not suffer alone. Your life matters.
Our insecurities will only tear us apart and spread negative vibes. Let’s make this world a better place to live in because we all are capable of it ‘We are beautiful’.
‘Beauty begins the moment to be yourself ‘
Simplicity 