It’s funny, how our
mothers and fathers,
teachers and friends,
tell us to love our bodies.
Love ourselves.

And then thrust us into the frigid, bleak world
of Not Good Enough.
With no advance warning
on how turbulent the waters are.

Isn’t it ironic,
how television commercials say we can be
Anything We Want to Be
while simultaneously advertising
princesses to girls, and fire trucks to boys?

The propaganda they spoon feed us is subtle.
Hissing in the innocent ears of childhood,
that skinny is the equivalent of beautiful
and fat is the equal of nothing.

But as we age,
skinny is no longer a size
but a list of criteria.
That twists around a young girls neck,
the suicidal tendencies of Beautiful.

Our ribs must show,
but we must not be skeletal.

Our boobs must big,
but our brains must small.

We have to be sexy,
But not a w****.

Society expects us to find this middle ground.
The place where Perfect lies.

Yet as they
shove their neverending indoctrination down our throats,
the ask us to explain,
Why the girls of Generation Z are offing themselves.
Why so many of us are lifeless bags of skin and bone,
mere hosts to the souls of anorexia and bulimia.

Not ever understanding,
that finding the image of Perfect,
is driving us to Insanity.

Let us ask the questions Society!

Why do you say Every Girl is Beautiful,
but judge the women whose a bit overweight?

Why do you tell us to follow our dreams,
but then crush our motivation by telling
we aren’t Good Enough?

Why do you tell us skinny is overrated,
but go on a different fad diet every week?

Yes, tell us we’re beautiful.
But not for the shape of our outer parts.
Tell us we’re worth something,
because we are Here.
That we are more than a number.
That we are our Talents, our Ideas, our Spirits.

That we are Strong.
And, yeah, sometimes life gets in the way of that Strength,
but we can Push Through!

Or will these just be another string of lies
flowing from your lips?