"Pretty hurts, we shine the light on whatever's worst
We try to fix something but you can't fix what you can't see."
I love the new Beyoncé song "Pretty Hurts" and I wanted to dissect some
of the lyrics. "Perfection is a disease of a nation" speaks so much
truth about the culture of perfection that we grow up in.
"Blonder hair, flat chest
TV says, 'Bigger is better.'
South beach, sugar free
Vogue says, 'Thinner is better'."
The mixed messages about beauty that we constantly receive neglect to
mention other aspects that make an individual beautiful like honesty,
courage, intelligence, and compassion.
Companies are capitalizing on our desperate need to be beautiful and
feel accepted by convincing us we need the new diet, new miracle
product, the latest plastic surgery. I believe beauty starts on the
inside and moves outward.
I especially love the line "it's the soul that needs the surgery". We
hold ourselves to unreasonable standards of beauty, never happy with
what we have, and always comparing ourselves to others. Either we have
trouble accepting compliments because of our self-shaming tendencies or
we are so desperate for compliments and attention that we compromise our
values and dignity to get it.
"When you're alone all by yourself
And you're lying in your bed
Reflection stares right into you
Are you happy with yourself?"
The next time you look in the mirror, I challenge you to look within and
see the beautiful things that make you unique and the gifts that you
have to share with the world.
❤
It was inspiring to see the beauty, joy, and resilience in the
butterflies with broken wings who were still fluttering from flower to
flower. Sometimes life can make us feel like we are flying with a broken wing, but the ability to find joy in the face of adversity is truly a beautiful gift. 
