True Beauty is Imperfect

So you want to know who I am,

Minus all the filters,

Stripped of everything, but what truly lies inside,

Do you think you’re really ready?

Because the way I see myself from the other side of the camera opposes your perspective completely,

You may see me as a beautiful brown girl with beautiful hair depending on how I decide to wear it,

I have been told that I am...

The perfect mixture of my mother and father, with bold, big, brown eyes and cute lips, athletic in stature,

BUT while you s-e-e all this in me,

I see the less than in myself, sure I may be pretty, but in comparison to others there is still something to be desired.

I fall short of the perfection I post.

The world we live in today only cares about your happiest moments,

The things that make our lives seem so picture-perfect, these are the same things that leave us lonely when the camera is off,

I’ve seen what those lonely times can do to people, I’ve seen life after life taken from me due to the times never seen on film, the things that occur behind the scenes.

When the lights are off and the camera is on someone else I want my image to reflect my heart.

I want to be that support people need when they aren’t filtering their life,

I want to be the compassionate person who’s there when your moments aren’t as happy or perfect,

I want to be the support you need when you are recovering from whatever ails you, the things that wouldn’t be so well received by your following,

I want to be the person you can always call on when your tears are uncontrollably falling from the same beautiful eyes that people admire on social media,

I want to answer the questions you don’t know how to ask, the things that can’t quite be described in 120 characters or less,

I want to be the comforting touch that gives you the confidence to reveal your imperfections,

I

   want

            to be

                      your

                             nurse!

And while the times I want to be present may seem like bad times; they’re not, they are just a little less than what you consider to be perfect,

I want to be there with you as you celebrate those good times, maybe even take the picture you decide to post,

For better or for worse I want my true beauty to be felt, like the arms of a loved one being wrapped around you,

BUT because all the things I want to be are intangible, imperceptible for those not present in the moment,

will you ever truly see ME through the pictures I take?

Highly unlikely.

I am more than the pictures I take and the likes I receive;

I am more than the happy moments I decide to publish,

I am not just a pretty girl, I have a lot more substance.

So there it is, you asked for it all and you got it,

raw,

unpolished,

#nofilter.