(Or how I learned to ignore the cultural idea of beauty and find my own)

As a child, I was only told what really matters is how you look on the inside. Well I hate to say this, but it’s a load of shit. This is a great idealism, but when you get down to reality it is just not true. We have created a cultural ideal beauty that none of us can stand up to. At some point or another, all of us have been insulted based on our outer appearance. Why is this? I don’t know, at some point we started striving for perfection, and in the process, lost a realistic view of ourselves and who we are.

Even those we photograph for magazines no longer meet this standard; images are altered at an alarming rate just to achieve this idea of beauty. This has to change, it is counterproductive. We spend so much time chasing this impossible dream of perfection, that we are missing out on who we are and celebrating our differences. I implore, no I demand that we change our ways. Like many great changes this one must start with a declaration, a manifesto, if you will. The following are the new guides to beauty that I will follow, and I urge you to follow and spread as well. All cultural change must start somewhere so why not here and now?

• I will no longer debase myself with words like ugly, fat, dumb, or anything else negative. If I feel that I need a compliment from others, I will openly ask for one. This is not a weakness. We all need support at times.

• I will no longer refer to others with words like ugly, fat, dumb, pale, or anything else conceived as negative. Instead of putting others down to feel good about myself, I find good things we have in common.

• When I hear others debasing others, I will have the courage to ask them why they feel the need to do so? I will not stand by idly and let this ridiculous idea of beauty perpetuate.

• I will not support media that festers this unhealthy idea of self-image. I will recognize that losing 50lbs in a week is impossible, and not give them my money.

• When judging weight, I will look at it objectively. Do I need to lose 10 pounds to look more like a model, or do I need to lose 10 pounds for my health?

• I will promote honesty. If someone asks how something looks, I will give them an honest objective answer.

• Last but most important, I will take the time to look around me and notice that the people around me do not look like the cover of a magazine. I will redefine my own idea of beauty to a realistic one, based on those around me, finding beauty in all the variety and differences people have.

This is my manifesto. Edit it to make it your own. Spread the word, so that we can end this insane cultural concept of beauty. If this is spread far and wide, perhaps one day we will be able to say beauty is what is on the inside. Until that days comes, we must be diligent not only with others but most importantly to ourselves. We must find our own beauty, and not be led, like cattle, to believe that just because we look realistic we are ugly.