Natural Beauty

With all the technology of today, people alter their appearances all the time,

Attempting live up to society's ideal of perfect.

When people add layers of makeup and concealer to their faces,

They're covering up what makes them unique and their natural beauty.

But what they don't realize is that under all of that makeup and by not adding a filter,

The beauty underneath is a beauty that can not be compared or enhanced.

Every night I wipe away the very minimal makeup I have on,

The concealer, foundation, and eyeliner that covers up every imperfection.

With the makeup removed, I see the rosey cheeks and splattering of freckles dotting my cheeks

That one inch scar on my cheek and the occasional breakout.

Removing my black eyeliner reveals dark brown eyes, enhanced by my freckles.

Brown eyes that pierce everything that captures them, eyes that are too dark for my pale complexion.

A piece of limp blonde hair falls in front of my eyes and clings to my nose.

I lift my dry, cracked hand to move the clinging piece of hair behind my ear

My blonde hair limply hanging around my shoulders and down my back,

A strand of hair flipping this direction, another flipping that direction.

Why can't my hair have volume and waves like their hair does?

Eyes drifting down the rest of my body,

Noticing how my thighs are a little too big, my calves too muscular, my legs too short, and my stomach too pudgy.

My body would be perfect if I lost a few pounds here or here...

My hair should be thicker if I tried that shampoo...

I should have stayed in the sun longer this past summer...

I should try harder to cover up my freckles and rosy cheeks...

Every imperfection that I see, is because society makes me believe they are imperfections,

But my freckles and rosy cheeks, brown eyes and naturally blonde hair makes me unique

This 'imperfect' body of mine is who I am...

I love my freckles and rosy cheeks, my too dark eyes and blonde hair that doesn't always cooperate.

Nothing ever always looks perfect,

My hair making me laugh at the weird ways it sticks up,

My eyes looking slightly red in the reflection of the light, making me smile at the beauty of it.

These are the things that set me apart, no longer will I try and change my looks just to conform to society's ideal of perfect.

No more layers of makeup,

No more adding filters to my pictures,

I am beautiful without them...

They make me....me.