Too colorful to conceal.

We hide behind this mask of "perfection." What is this mask made up of? It's our clothes that we wear to hide our flaws and highlight the good parts, makeup, hairstyles, shoes, tans, diets, jokes and accessories. Why do we do this, hide what makes us different from each other, only to blend in? I thought we were supposed to stand out in the world, not get lost in it. We lose ourselves under this veil that we hide behind, and I don't know if most of us ever really find out who we are because of it. We try to fit in and be the same, even though we are not supposed to be. Those flaws that you are hiding might be that one thing someone loves about you, or that you love about yourself, but are too afraid to allow the world to see it.

Not only do we hide these pieces of us from the world, but we hide them from ourselves. I remember not ever wanting to look in the mirror, putting my clothes on so quickly that I couldn't see any of the parts of my body that weren't "normal" or attractive, but yet were, since this was when I was growing into the woman that I am supposed to be. I hid not only from the world, but from myself. I missed out on knowing myself and how I went from awkward teenager to the beautiful person I've grown to love. I remember buying makeup, which was merely eyeliner and mascara, but eventually never wanting to leave my house without it on, because I felt like it made me look better, not realizing that I already looked fine without it.

Our culture has turned to models and celebrities in order to figure out what we are supposed to look like, act like, be. These people who grace the covers and pages of magazines are "the best of the best" and "the pick of the litter." What we don't realize though, is that there will never be that person that everyone likes. While one model is gorgeous to one person, they might be hideous to the next. These people that we idolize and look up to are never perfect themselves. We watch them grow and change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. They are picked apart by the media who made them famous, take diet pills, tan, buy expensive makeup, clothes, and jewelry, hide behind their purses, have plastic surgery, take drugs, and sometimes have breakdowns. All of this is done to be accepted by the people who don't like them, sometimes resulting in the loss of the people who did to begin with. This is what we strive to be? They aren't perfect, just like people who don't make the amount of money they make, drive their cars, or live in their houses aren't perfect.

Until we realize this, we will all be hiding behind our masks that we wear everyday, all the time. I'm not going to lie and say that I don't have a mask of my own; I hide behind a hair style that makes me feel complete, and clothes that make me feel good about myself. Even though this is true, I mainly pull myself together every morning in order to feel good about myself when I look in the mirror- I want to like what I see, but as much as I say it is for myself, it is also so I can be accepted, at least somewhat, by the people around me. I hope to be able to feel so comfortable in my own skin that I don't have to spend time on my hair and worry about my clothes, be able to lay around all day and not care if anyone stops by and have to take the time to look in the mirror before I open the door. Loving ourselves is a life-long process, and because of this, we will never be completely satisfied with who we are, but we need to learn to love who we are for ourselves, and not for anyone else.

Caitlin Crosby - Imperfect is the New Perfect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fli8UpFcpQw