Pretty Hurts

"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.

 ❤