#ppoeticc

Everyone sees that girl. It’s hard not to notice. Whenever she smiles, the skies open up and the sun shines down. Her laugh is the sweetest song you’ll ever hear and the tidal waves are incomparable to those that are on her head. She’s beautiful. Any one could see that, beauty is not a fact, but a beauty so genuine is hard to deny. Boys follow her like lost puppies searching for their owner, and melt in the palms of her hands. She pretends she doesn’t realize that the world is in her little hands, but on the inside she knows that the heart of many is within her grasp. That girl catches attention. When people see her they stop to do a double-take, unsure that the angel in front of their eyes could actually be on this caliginous Earth. They flirt, stare, ponder; they are in love with the ethereal aesthetic of that girl. Her body curves like a bending road, her skin smooth like milk, even her shadow could break hearts. But then there’s this girl. This girl knows she is not a jaw-dropping, eye-catching beauty. She knows that in a room full of girls your eyes would only linger on hers for but a moment. She is average, to say the least, and she is fully aware. The lack of attention she gets from guys just proves that notation. This girl tries her best everyday to become something beautiful, something worth noticing and keeping. She has to settle for her position, because it’s all she ever knows. This Girl always wonders how she could be That Girl.

There are days where I can face a mirror with an eager smile on my face. I feel beautiful, to say the least, and confident. These are the days that welcome a new sense of self-worth, a new price tag plastered on me with the words "priceless" read bold and audacious. This feeling is rare; blue moons come quicker than this feeling. It is a feeling that comes from within, my look actually having little to do with its appearance. The days that are more common, are the days where I am stuck behind a grey cloud. Mirrors are avoided as much as possible. My heart races whenever someone's eyes linger on me for too long - I know they are picking out my most minuscule of flaws. No matter what I wear, how my hair looks, how my skin looks, how my jeans fit, this feeling is a ticking bomb that goes off without warrant. I never know when I can expect to feel at my lowest again, I just know it always comes. If my self-esteem depended on my appearance, I would be a jewel everyday, but sadly, no matter how shiny the diamond, I still feel like a rock.

How to: Be yourself in a world that's constantly telling you not to 1. Stop straightening your hair; embrace the curls that dare to sprout out of your roots. Straighten your hair. Cut and dye it pastel pink because you always liked the way that color looked on you. 2. Wear that shirt, those jeans, that dress. The next time you start to worry whether you look to "fat" in it, pay yourself a compliment. 3. Beat that face, girl. Wear as much make up as you'd like. Or don't. You're beautiful with or without. 4. Stand up for you beliefs no matter how many old white men (or FOX news) are trying to tell it's incorrect, or you're "just being a teen." 5. Stop listening to what everyone has to say about you. People will talk, they will stare, they will laugh - it's up to you on how you own it. 6. Pursue the career you always wanted to do, even if it doesn't pay you half a million a year. Do you really value money over your happiness? 7. Stop apologizing for the way you feel. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs, even you. 8. Openly compliment yourself without justification. Yes, you really do look amazing. Own it.