Stop Calling Women Beautiful

Before you freak out and call me a terrible person, let me explain. 

Beautiful

beau·ti·ful

ˈbyo͞otəfəl/

adjective

pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.

synonyms: attractive

, pretty, handsome, good-looking, alluring

You see it everywhere. Posts about how everyone is beautiful in their own way. There are always encouraging and uplifting comments to people who don't fit into societies idea of "beauty." While these comments come from a sincere place within the person, a lot of the time, they just aren't true. At All.

Beauty in Society

Our society bases our worth in the universe on beauty. The one thing that determines our worthiness to be here is something we have little to no control over. While beauty product companies are starting to include women of all shapes, sizes, and color, they're forgetting one thing in their "Everyone is Beautiful" campaign: some people are drop dead ugly. Beauty is a term that means aesthetically pleasing, easy on the eyes, nice to look at, nice to smell, nice to touch, nice to feel, and nice to hear. The synonyms of beauty are "attractive" and "good-looking." Some people just aren't. Some people are ugly, hard to look at, smell like week old sushi and a dumpster, have rough skin, and screeching voices that instantly set off an internal alarm when you hear them talking. Don't act like you haven't met, or at least seen someone like this. Beauty is not a birth-given right! We don't tell everyone they're a great athlete, an amazing cook, an awesome writer, a wonderful artist, or the best listener; so why is everyone beautiful? The term confuses society, especially young girls. 

"You're beautiful on the inside"

"I make great grades, I can cook like Emeril Lagasse, I'm the varsity soccer captain, and my boyfriend left me for the cheerleading captain who is 20 pounds lighter than me, doesn't have acne, has smooth hair, and has the personality of a wet dishrag. But, I'm beautiful?" Are you going to respond: "Yes, just not as beautiful as her." No. You're going to list all the reasons she is an amazing person and how it makes her beautiful inside and out. Last time I looked up the definition of beautiful, "great chef," "athletic," and "funny," weren't listed in the synonyms.

"You're beautiful to someone"

If you're in an art gallery and you come across the most outrageously ugly painting that you have ever seen in your entire life (and I mean ugly! So ugly it's hard to look at without feeling bad for the artist), do you continue to stand next to this painting and talk about how beautiful it is just because "someone else might think it's beautiful?" No. At least, I wouldn't. You shouldn't constantly tell an ugly person that they're beautiful just because someone else might think they're attractive (and chances are, most ugly people know they're ugly and get sick of people lying to them, even if the person meant it in the nicest way possible).

But don't you wear makeup?

This whole post may sound hypocritical coming from a makeup lover. It may seem like I'm saying to embrace your ugly, and in a way, I am. The point I am really trying to make is that you shouldn't let your looks define who you are as a person. I wear makeup because it makes me feel prettier and more confident; but, I love myself with and without makeup. I find makeup application fun to do; but, I don't have to have it on every time I leave the house. I still think I'm an awesome person, even on my ugly days. I don't have to feel beautiful every day to know that I have other things to offer the world.

Stop Letting Beauty Define You

Don't let aesthetics become your only reason for life. Not everyone is going to think you're attractive and that's okay! Even supermodels have people who think they're ugly. Finding someone who truly thinks you're beautiful is amazing; but, just because you aren't attractive to everyone else doesn't mean you aren't an awesome person. So, unless you honestly find someone beautiful, stop telling them that they are. Instead, tell them what makes them special. "You're hilariously witty and your smile lightens up a room. People instantly feel chipper just by seeing you. You cook the most delectable peach cobbler that I've ever had and you're always willing to share! You care deeply about people and you kindness seeps to the bottom of your heart. You're an amazing person and I love being around you," sounds a lot better than "you're beautiful on the inside" to me. 

Who is Worthy?

Hey, People! My name is Worthy and I'm new to this whole blogging business; but, I've decided to jump on the bandwagon (or has that bandwagon already passed? I don't know). Anyway, I have such strong opinions about so many things and I manage to talk on and on, so I figured the best place for me was on a blog. Just to give you an idea of who I am and what you're reading, I'm going to tell you the big things about me (currently at least, they're always changing).

Salem College

#BetterThanYouSince1772 is ringing true. You can expect to hear quite a bit about my place of education. Salem is an all women's, liberal arts college in the heart of downtown Winston-Salem. I'm heading in to my first year of college this August and there are few things (if any) that I have been more excited for. I'm in the Honors Program and also will be living in the honors dorm. I plan on majoring in Biology and completing all of the Pre-Med requisites. I will probably be mentioning my classes, my friends, my roommates, and all things Salem.

Feminism and Human Rights

I guess you can typically expect someone who attends an all women's college to be a feminist. I'm proud to say, I'm part of that 99%. I try not to be a feminazi though. I have found that most women who attend same sex colleges are more likely to be forward thinkers (and to be successful, but that's a different story). I'm someone who supports feminism, gay marriage, human rights in general, and you could say I'm a liberal (you could also say I'm pretty open about it). 

Makeup and All Things Beauty

Being a feminist doesn't mean you can't be girly. You can support equal rights and still look damn good doing it! Makeup, nail polish, hair care, and skin care are all things I care about. I even subscribe to a monthly beauty subscription box called ipsy (which you can definitely expect to hear about at least once a month). I will probably post about my awesome (and not so awesome) makeup products somewhat often. 

Photos

You can expect quite a few posts with nothing but pictures and maybe some captions. Although I am far from a photographer, taking pictures is an awesome and easy way for me to keep friends and family up to date on what is happening in my life! I will try to only post the reaaaally cool things on here (but for all of my random pictures, my pointless pictures, my #MCM pictures, and my occasional selfie, follow me on Instagram).

AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST

Al-Anon

I, at the age of 18, am a grateful member of Al-Anon (and have been for over three years). Al-Alon is group for relatives or friends of alcoholics. Al-Anon members practice the 12 steps of AA themselves and find ways to live their unmanageable lives. I grew up with two alcoholic/drug addict parents and it had its effects on my life. But, don't expect to hear all my heart wrenching stories about my dysfunctional family on here unless they're necessary to share my experience, strength, and hope. If it is program related and touched my heart, you can expect to hear about it. You can also expect to hear slogans and random program wisdom strewn about in my blog (even if the post isn't about Al-Anon). The program is a big part of my life and Just For Today, I'm hoping to keep it that way. 

Overall, I'm a pretty normal teenager, but I feel like this blog is an excellent place for me to let go of some creative buildup and to keep friends and family members informed on the big things in my life (and for me to keep track of what all is happening in my life -- My memory is already going). Want to keep in touch with me on Social Networking? Snapchat, Twitter, and Instragram are all @WorthyPegram 

DON'T FORGET THE POLL

I have a poll open on the right side of the page to ask what you would most look forward to reading. Feedback would be amazing and comments would be awesome (: