Fabia Shahzadi
“If I as rewarded with another chance, I still would not change a thing about myself”-Says almost every teenager while faking the most confident smile.
I firmly agree to disagree that I am not one of those insecure teenagers. If I was proposed with the same option, hell yeah I would seize it! I would grab hold of that one blessed opportunity right away and rectify all my respectable flaws.
No, I would not change my tanned skin tone just because rumors narrate that fairer girls are prettier. I would not change my dark lips just because people falsely accuse me of being an addict. I would not change my figure just because having a perfect body is what everyone craves. I would not change my flat, wavy hair just because commercials only promote silky, voluminous hair. I would not change my hooded eyelids, my imperfect smile, my average height, my weight, my dressing sense, my anything just because I was provoked to do so; I would never! My life is not a puppetry. I will not allow society to be the puppeteer and manipulate my brain cells in any possible way.
There is an insignificant point in polishing the egg shell when the main treat is only when you break open the delicate, vulnerable cover. No matter how many soft brush strokes you use to remove that one last grainy stain on the surface of the shell, if it is a bad egg, it is a bad egg. Likewise, no matter how much effort you put to enhance your physical attributes, society will be there to demean, embarrass and humiliate you in the worst possible way. Society feeds us with criticisms which enhance our personal self-doubt. Society wants you to be physically pretty but did nobody ever warn you that you don’t owe your prettiness to anyone? You don’t have to be beautiful for your boyfriend/husband/parents/children; beauty is not a monthly rent you have to pay for occupying a space called “woman”. Your body is not you, your soul is you.
If provided with an opportunity, chase it until you know you have acquired it. Entertain yourself with that one shot to change for the better. Be resilient, be bold and be confident! Install unadulterated morals in you. Make your ethics stronger than you basics. Inject compassion in your heart and learn to eliminate or at least fight against the invincible diffidence. Your heart should be plagued with integrity and be intensified with paragon of virtue.
We are the victims of a society which is flattered in vanity, overflown with judgements and congested with greed to contaminate the tender hearted, soft spoken, purified souls of these teenagers. Society dictates us to crave that ideal 36-24-36 figure, to be afraid to expose our intimate stories, to be terrified of growing old and accepting the odds with it. Society and beauty have been in a well concealed love/hate relationship for far too long now. Rather than avenging those poor souls who have already been trapped in the vicious nets of society’s predicament, we seem to just follow the engraved trail set by them. While society gloats over our insecurities, it is disappointing to witness the brave, confident personalities dwindling in size with each passing day. I am tired of this parasitic relationship where every teenager feels the urge to be controlled by the society’s subtle yet bold enforcements.
We are ashamed of who we are because we were taught to be. We are susceptible to our fears because we were asked to be. Shame can not/should not get the better hold of you. Don’t wait for life to offer you a chance. Create your own moment, wipe away those little dewdrops from your eyes and replace it with a forced smile, if need be. Refrain yourself from those intimidating negativity and learn to acknowledge that you are beautiful, in and out.