There was a face
A face I analyzed like a dissection
Blemished with scars and beauty marks
Stained with exhaustion and fear
Consumed by society’s ideals
A face that did not realize what it was worth

Masked behind all of the makeup
Behind the forced smiles
The tears running down when no one was looking
There was me
A girl at the age of fourteen
Consumed with fitting in

Throughout my life
I have become used to my face
My one dimple
The scar above my left eyebrow
The beauty mark above my lip
I knew my face
But I knew my imperfections even better

Society forced me to see my imperfections clearly
To wish I was a celebrity in the magazine
To cover my freckles so they would go unnoticed
To starve myself skinny
To hate myself

It wasn’t until the age of sixteen when I realized there was more to life than beauty
Instead of focusing on my imperfections
I focused on things I liked about myself
Like the unique color of my eyes
My outgoing personality
My strength and determination

My imperfections soon faded to the back of my mind
I noticed how far my talents will get me in life
How strong my attributes are
How having a perfect life will give you no stories to tell
And how flawless I actually am

As I look at my face now
I see courage, strength and commitment
I see a face that is not scared
That is content with its imperfections
And will do all it takes to be successful
And of course, will have amazing stories to tell