Third grade was the year I discovered makeup

I ransacked through my mom's drawer pulling all the wrong shades of foundation out

Covering my face in blush redder than rudolph's nose while purple eyeshadow filled up my eyelids

This was the first time I felt pretty

Fifth grade I cut off all my hair

I looked in the mirror as the scissors were slicing through my long strawberry hair and realized my mistake

The next day all my classmates laughed at me and called me a boy

This was the first time I felt ugly

Seventh grade was the year I got a magazine subscription to vogue

I looked at the models on the ads for Calvin Klein examining every curve

I scanned for imperfections, hoped that one of them would look like me

This was the first time I felt insecure

I was a little girl that once had no cares in the world

But as I grew up I was enlightened with the faults of our society

We live in a world where girls who sit still and look pretty are better role models than girls that strive for education and try to change the world

We live in a world where the prettier you are the more liked you are

And we live in a world full of insecurity and doubts because us girls are told when we are younger that we are not as smart as boys, we will never be as athletic as boys, and we for sure are told that we will not be liked by boys unless we are thin

But not too thin, they do not want to see your bones

And you can be thick but only in some areas

Oh and don't wear makeup, boys like natural

But maybe you should wear makeup because boys will not like if you have acne scars and bags underneath your eyes

I am sick and tired of being judged for simply living

So to the young girls who want to read books and educate yourself, do it

To the girls who want to dye their hair and get lip fillers, just go for it

And to me, the girl who wanted to chop her hair off, I am looking at you, and I admire you