Everyone has days where they feel self-conscious. If you haven’t, I am both impressed and terrified by your coping skills. I cannot say the same.

 It’s nearly impossible not to, with the existence of the media and a patriarchal society that tells us from a young age that beauty is a tax we must pay to exist in this world.

 But that tax is ever-changing.

 One day, the tax might be a small waist and thick thighs, or the next, visible abs and a thigh gap. It all depends on the current concept of beauty and the societal trends of the time.

 But what if we refused to pay that tax?

 I know what you’re probably thinking, just another individual telling me to accept myself, embrace my inner or outer beauty, embrace the imperfections (which can be so freaking annoying to hear because society makes it feel almost impossible.)

 If you’re thinking that, you’d be right. I’m absolutely here to tell you that annoyingly repetitive sentiment – kind of.

 In my eyes, it’s not as simple as embracing who you are.

 I believe you must consciously create who you are, slowly mold the version of yourself you want to present to the world and embrace that version of you through its becoming.  

 As a society, we’re taught to follow trend after trend to define what we want to look like. We’re taught that we should change our physical appearance to match what is societally acceptable at the time.

 Be skinnier, Be thicker. Have bigger lips. Have smaller lips. Have fewer wrinkles. Embrace the natural process of aging.

 Physical trends are a modern, ever-changing art form. It can be exhausting to keep up.

 So why do we try?

 Even when replicating a particular trend, no two individuals can create the same result. No two individuals ARE the same.

 They are uniquely THEM. 

 If you choose to follow trends and choose to make yourself an ever-living piece of transformative art, then there’s your creation choice. But modern art is not the only art. There are hundreds of years of physical inspiration written into our histories.

 If you look at portraits, stories, or images from lifetimes passed, you’ll notice there was a time when the type of beauty we now disregard was the type of beauty that left people enamored.

 Don’t force yourself into the ever-changing expectations of the time. Slow your strokes and allow inspiration to guide you.

 Ask yourself, if you are the canvas, what image do you want to create?

 There is power in choosing exactly how you present yourself to this world. It is that power that can inspire you when someone irrelevant offers critiques or judgments of your appearance.

 You are ART.

 You are a living, breathing, walking canvas of marks, scars, freckles, adornments, and more.

 Not everyone is going to see your beauty, and that’s okay. That’s the point. You tell a story that not everyone is meant to hear or understand. Let your internal and external appearance reflect that.

 Walk with confidence in the world knowing there are individuals out there who are staring at the canvas you have created with pride, appreciation, and astonishment. Like the comfortable silence in a museum, they may never vocalize it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

 Let your silent confidence say the same. I am colorful. I am vibrant. I am resilient. I am multidimensional. I am chaos. I am whatever I desire to be.

 You got this.