What do you do when you find that you are not "traditionally" beautiful? You know, the impossible standard of beauty which American women seem to be held to by television, magazines, and the runway. Tall, stick skinny, big boobs, blonde hair, blue eyes, tan skin, a small nose, and perfect, symmetrical features, with zero "flaws (freckles, moles, or gaps)".
The truth is, that standard is very difficult/impossible to reach! And if i'm being honest with you, I don't even WANT to look like that! I honestly think the most beautiful women i've ever seen are not tall, skinny, tan and blonde! They have their own unique look, and they look amaaaazing!
True beauty is being yourself! It's being different, and rocking that different look!
I will use myself as an example. I am not "Traditionally" beautiful. Actually, probably the complete opposite of every "traditional" beauty expectation!
The truth is, that standard is very difficult/impossible to reach! And if i'm being honest with you, I don't even WANT to look like that! I honestly think the most beautiful women i've ever seen are not tall, skinny, tan and blonde! They have their own unique look, and they look amaaaazing!
True beauty is being yourself! It's being different, and rocking that different look!
I will use myself as an example. I am not "Traditionally" beautiful. Actually, probably the complete opposite of every "traditional" beauty expectation!
(an unedited photo of me, with very little makeup on)
I am short (5'2), I have a big butt, VERY pale skin, freckles, a pointy/crooked nose, a mole on my chin, green/brown eyes, black hair (with different fun colors in it usually), and very thick dark eyebrows. You see, the exact opposite of the"traditional" beauty features! And can I tell you a secret? I don't mind one bit. In fact, I think I'm beautiful(!). I wouldn't trade any of my "quirky" features for anything! I looove how my naturally black hair contrasts with my naturally ghostly pale skin! And I have never had problems getting guys. Infact, a lot of my unconventional beauty characteristics is what guys like about me most! My shortness, my big butt, my pale skin, and my freckles, just to name a few. Now, I'm definitely not saying to measure your beauty against guy's opinions of your looks! Or anyone's for that matter! But i'm just simply pointing out that a lot more guys are steering away from the conventional beauty and they actually PREFER girls with quirks or just something different about them! So that you know, that if you're tanning and starving yourself just to get the attention of a guy, you don't have to!
I am short (5'2), I have a big butt, VERY pale skin, freckles, a pointy/crooked nose, a mole on my chin, green/brown eyes, black hair (with different fun colors in it usually), and very thick dark eyebrows. You see, the exact opposite of the"traditional" beauty features! And can I tell you a secret? I don't mind one bit. In fact, I think I'm beautiful(!). I wouldn't trade any of my "quirky" features for anything! I looove how my naturally black hair contrasts with my naturally ghostly pale skin! And I have never had problems getting guys. Infact, a lot of my unconventional beauty characteristics is what guys like about me most! My shortness, my big butt, my pale skin, and my freckles, just to name a few. Now, I'm definitely not saying to measure your beauty against guy's opinions of your looks! Or anyone's for that matter! But i'm just simply pointing out that a lot more guys are steering away from the conventional beauty and they actually PREFER girls with quirks or just something different about them! So that you know, that if you're tanning and starving yourself just to get the attention of a guy, you don't have to!
(^^^Just so you can get an idea of how pale I really am, and how different I look from other people, especially in this picture!)
Different is BEAUTIFUL!
Different is BEAUTIFUL!
Now I am going to talk a little about America's obsession with tanning, and how you DON'T need to be tan to be beautiful!
In America, we have this strange notion that tan=beautiful, and pale=ugly. This myth is completely untrue, and makes me very sad. I'm not saying that tan people are ugly. I'm
saying that there shouldn't be one over the other. If you are naturally dark skinned, I think it looks good. If you are naturally pale, it also looks good!
As you all already know, if you tan when your young (aside from potential skin cancer risk, which no one seems to pay any mind to), when you are older, you look like an old piece of leather! And you know exactly who I'm talking about. You've seen them. And you most likely thought to yourself, I do NOT want to look like that when I'm older. Well I have some news for you, if you tan excessively, YOU WILL! Scary huh? So I will just never understand how people started thinking that tan=beautiful. It blows my mind! Some of the most beautiful women I've seen have pale skin. Here's a little story about how this tan=beautiful myth affected my life. I am a very pale person. My mom has pale skin, freckles, and red hair, and I definitely got the pale skin and freckles from her. When I was in Junior High, people would make fun of my pale skin all the time (looking back, and even some people today still doing that, I realized they were doing it to make themselves feel better. They loved pointing out how white my skin was, so that their skin would look more tan. I know, sad right?). So of course being at that fragile age, and having everyone make fun of my pastyness, and seeing that all the "hott" girls at skool were tan, I decided that I was going to get tan! So I laid out. And let me tell you, it was sooo boring! I hated it! And not only that, but I got burnt, which is nooo fun, and the burn didn't even fade into a tan! It just went right
back to my original paleness! So after that, I made a decision. I decided that it was dumb to try and be something that I'm not, to impress other people. That doing something I got no enjoyment out of, and would eventually give me gross wrinkly skin, was so incredibly dumb! Let me tell you, it was so freeing! Not having to pretend to be someone I wasn't! And I learned to just ignore people who had the nerve to make fun of me. And I have to admit, imagining them as being old wrinkly 30 year olds who look 50, while my skin still looks like I'm in my 20's, helps a lot :)
So from that day on, I have embraced my skin. I wear sunscreen every day, avoid being in the sun for long periods of time during it's strongest times (Noon -4pm), and never set foot anywhere close to a tanning booth! That decision started out as just trying to accept myself, and not let myself be influenced by other people, or their opinion of beauty, and since making that decision, I now looove my pale skin. I think it is one of the things that makes me beautiful! The black you see in my hair is my natural hair color (my dad has black hair and dark skin, so I got the hair from him), and I think that my skin color goes beeeautiful with my hair color. So here I am ROCKING my pale skin. And ever since I've started
doing that, a lot less people make fun of it. There is something about a woman who is confident in her skin. She just LOOKS more beautiful!
Now, I could keep writing about how girls who have dark hair, are short, have gaps, have freckles, or are not stick thin are BEAUTIFUL! OR! I could just show you...!
I present to you, REAL women. Not famous, photoshopped, have hair and makeup artists on call 24/7 women, but real women, and they are some of the most beautiful people I know...
In America, we have this strange notion that tan=beautiful, and pale=ugly. This myth is completely untrue, and makes me very sad. I'm not saying that tan people are ugly. I'm
saying that there shouldn't be one over the other. If you are naturally dark skinned, I think it looks good. If you are naturally pale, it also looks good!
As you all already know, if you tan when your young (aside from potential skin cancer risk, which no one seems to pay any mind to), when you are older, you look like an old piece of leather! And you know exactly who I'm talking about. You've seen them. And you most likely thought to yourself, I do NOT want to look like that when I'm older. Well I have some news for you, if you tan excessively, YOU WILL! Scary huh? So I will just never understand how people started thinking that tan=beautiful. It blows my mind! Some of the most beautiful women I've seen have pale skin. Here's a little story about how this tan=beautiful myth affected my life. I am a very pale person. My mom has pale skin, freckles, and red hair, and I definitely got the pale skin and freckles from her. When I was in Junior High, people would make fun of my pale skin all the time (looking back, and even some people today still doing that, I realized they were doing it to make themselves feel better. They loved pointing out how white my skin was, so that their skin would look more tan. I know, sad right?). So of course being at that fragile age, and having everyone make fun of my pastyness, and seeing that all the "hott" girls at skool were tan, I decided that I was going to get tan! So I laid out. And let me tell you, it was sooo boring! I hated it! And not only that, but I got burnt, which is nooo fun, and the burn didn't even fade into a tan! It just went right
back to my original paleness! So after that, I made a decision. I decided that it was dumb to try and be something that I'm not, to impress other people. That doing something I got no enjoyment out of, and would eventually give me gross wrinkly skin, was so incredibly dumb! Let me tell you, it was so freeing! Not having to pretend to be someone I wasn't! And I learned to just ignore people who had the nerve to make fun of me. And I have to admit, imagining them as being old wrinkly 30 year olds who look 50, while my skin still looks like I'm in my 20's, helps a lot :)
So from that day on, I have embraced my skin. I wear sunscreen every day, avoid being in the sun for long periods of time during it's strongest times (Noon -4pm), and never set foot anywhere close to a tanning booth! That decision started out as just trying to accept myself, and not let myself be influenced by other people, or their opinion of beauty, and since making that decision, I now looove my pale skin. I think it is one of the things that makes me beautiful! The black you see in my hair is my natural hair color (my dad has black hair and dark skin, so I got the hair from him), and I think that my skin color goes beeeautiful with my hair color. So here I am ROCKING my pale skin. And ever since I've started
doing that, a lot less people make fun of it. There is something about a woman who is confident in her skin. She just LOOKS more beautiful!
Now, I could keep writing about how girls who have dark hair, are short, have gaps, have freckles, or are not stick thin are BEAUTIFUL! OR! I could just show you...!
I present to you, REAL women. Not famous, photoshopped, have hair and makeup artists on call 24/7 women, but real women, and they are some of the most beautiful people I know...
My friend Cinda
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My little sister
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My friends Julie n Tiff <3
My little sister, Magdalena
My friend Kaylee
My friend Emily
My neighbor Shauna, and my sister.
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My friend/my brother's girlfriend, SJ
My friends Lauren and Gretchen
My mom! Can you believe she's 56?! Ladies, this is how you can look if you take care of yourself!
Some of my friends from Colorado; Abby, Tinita, Jisook, and Gretchen.
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Are you seeing how different everyone looks! And they are all beautiful and EXCITING!Diversity is sooo beautiful you guys! Remember that. Remember that next time you open a magazine and feel bad that you don't look like the models on its pages. You don't NEED to! Because you already ARE beautiful. Repeat after me: "I am unique. I am beautiful."
Peace, Love and Beauty for All
Jess <3
