The Beauty Standard

Growing up, I never felt pretty. I never felt confident. I kind of always felt like the sidekick to my smart and beautiful friends. Even now I sometimes wonder how the guys I dated found me attractive. 

So even in my 40s, I still fall prey to the effect of social media. I see these beautiful women - friends and others - looking good and having fun and sometimes, I fall into the trap. I add a filter or crop a photo just right so that I look "how I should." As the grey hair sets in and the wrinkles start to creep across my skin, I find myself worrying about how I look. Like so many people, especially in the digital world today, I don't want to be unattractive - even though I don't want my daughter to see it like that or to follow in those footsteps. But my fear causes me to play that game sometimes. (Thank goodness that she is a pretty confident little girl who wears what she wants and styles her hair how she wants and doesn't give a second thought to anyone who doesn't like it.)

And then sometimes I post a really unattractive, totally unfiltered photo of myself just to remind myself that I'm human and good the way I am. I wish I could change the way I think and feel, and I'm working on it.

What is something you wish you could change about your perceptions?