“Beauty is within us. To be born in this world is beauty and we come in different shapes, sizes and skin tones.” Unknown

“Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all?” A classic fairy-tale that spoke about beauty, acceptance, and heart.

Before I understood the true concept of beauty, I envied those with fairer skin, slender legs and long straight hair. My definition of beauty was so distorted that I had thoughts about altering my appearance. Looking back, I realized the crux of the matter was my ethnicity, my African heritage. Growing up I wasn’t taught or influenced to appreciate my ancestral physical features. Similarly, my peers felt the same way. I witnessed males and females engaging in skin bleaching, fake hair, lashes and other aesthetics aimed at improving their appearance. The feeling of inadequacy was very prevalent.

The world around us through ads, behaviors, barriers, and nonverbal rules promoted and even revered the opposite of what we looked like. Due to this imbalance, we sought beauty from places, products and people around us. Our insecurities and lack of guidance created a mental barrier; true beauty versus proposed beauty.

I remember seeing this statement years ago and it resonated with me then and is even more profound today; “The girl in the magazine does not even look like the girl in the magazine.” The influence of the media and social media has set an impossible standard of beauty. These channels paint a false narrative and representation of what it means to be beautiful. We are constantly bombarded with images, product advertisements, shallow comments, and messages that we lose sight of what makes one beautiful; the values and attributes - what’s on the inside.

The messages though subtle, seep into our psyche until we find ourselves comparing and trying to live up to those ideals. The entire experience is like coming out of a steamy hot shower trying to look at one’s reflection in the mirror, but it’s completely fogged up. In simpler words, we are trying to find ourselves, but we have limited visibility. The mirror is our identity, and the steam is all the influences, beauty standards and pressure that we face every day.

What is Beauty?

I believe that real beauty is acceptance of yourself, not only the physical flaws but character flaws as well. It is accepting that these flaws are unique to your identity which makes you special.

Beauty is the radiance of your spirit, your strength and self-confidence.

Beauty is ACCEPTANCE!

Treat yourself today by looking in the mirror and saying, “I am beauty embodied”.

Be UNIQUELY You!

Be EXTRAORDINARY!