Do you realize that you're not allowing yourself to be human?"

Impossible Standards

Anthony Bridgerton x Reader

Chapter 5

You walk up to Gunters tea shop as you feel your heart practically beating out of your chest as you take a deep breath to calm your nerves…

You walk inside the fancy tea shop as you look around to find Anthony, you had left him a message over the phone asking if he could meet you here. You were hoping he would show up but you wouldn't blame him if he didn’t, you felt bad about your argument the other night at the Queens Ball but you wanted to make amends.

You look around nervously as you feel your heart skip a beat when you met his gaze…

Anthony stares into your eyes for a moment as he pulls out a chair for you and gestures for you to come sit with him. You sigh as you walk over and take a seat.

After a moment of silence you decide to speak up…”I’m sorry about before…I was so rude to you and It just takes time for me to be comfortable around new people." I sigh as I look up at him.

"Comfortable?" Anthony chuckles as he looks back at me for a moment before speaking up, "I guess it's understandable...we didn't exactly start off on the right foot anyway." He sighs as he smirks. "However I would have expected a princess to have better manners, but apparently you just like to get drunk and dance on tabletops. Isn't that right princess?" He says jokingly.

You scoff as you smile a bit. "I do like to have fun if that is what your suggesting! But your right maybe we should start a new...." You say softly as you maintain eye contact. "But I still think your an arrogant prick most times." You chuckle softly as Anthony rolls his eyes. "And your very mean and tough to get to know but in some way I guess you do amuse me....It's nice to have a conversation with someone like a real conversation outside of just money, family status, and courtship." He says softly.

"I know right it's like most people in the court are like these programmed robots all saying the same shit." You say honestly as you lean back and sip on your tea. Anthony chuckles again at your bluntness. "Indeed I just wish my family could get off my back about this whole marriage thing, I just want to make them proud and also to shut them up so they'll stop annoying me about it." You nod in agreement. "I don't desire a marriage either it's all just an economic proposition to me anyway. I am the freaking Princess of Spain and I want to be taken seriously and most men just talk down to me and won't stop staring at my breasts." You say bluntly as Anthony almost chokes on his tea from the last sentence.

He coughs as he nod in agreement. "Well looks like we both have the same problem...would be nice if we could just marry one another to get everyone off our backs." He says jokingly as he chuckles.

You pause for a moment as you stare back at him. "That's actually not a bad idea actually...." Anthony raises his eyebrows in interest. "I was merely joking princess..." You lean forward as you speak up. "What if this could actually work though? Both are families would back off and we could still do our own thing, let's fake an engagement Anthony." You say serious.

"That's an absolute crazy idea princess...I'm in." He smirks. You cheer quietly as you nod. "I knew you had some smarts up in that brain of yours Bridgerton! All we have to do now is just convince everyone and hold out until the very end of the season and we'll be free!" You laugh as you smile.

Anthony nod along as he thinks for a moment. What the hell have I gotten myself into? What if she finds out about the plan I had in place? Gosh I can't wait for the season to be over....

mad scientist

vampire

Many times we women are told that crying makes us weak and that we should stop overacting and be more mature, that we are fragile and should act in a certain way in a relationship. Princesses Don't Cry talks about how suppressing your feelings is really unhealthy and by doing so we are hurting ourselves, that sometimes it is okay to cry, It doesn't matter if it's because of something important or just because of a man who broke our hearts, that doesn't make you weak.

Woman's World talks about the differences in women's lives, it talks about the inequality that women experience in their daily lives, it talks about experiences that we have all gone through and that have left us feeling bad. But it also talks about how change is coming and that it doesn't matter if we have to fight, we will achieve a world of equality.

No matter what many people say, all over the world and depending on the culture there are impossible standards that women must meet if they want to be considered beautiful, established standards that are NOT "only used by women to judge each other" and "things that men don't pay attention to." Scars to Your Beautiful talks about insecurities and self-harm (even if they are not called that) that a girl can go through in order to be beautiful, talks about how thanks to impossible standards we cannot see our own beauty and affirms and supports women to be themselves, because you are beautiful just the way you are and it is not fair that they ask you to change to adapt to others.