Whenever I go to the mall, I dread walking past the Victoria’s Secret signs. Not only does it portray an unrealistic image of what girls really look like, but I start to feel bad that I’m not 5 foot 11 with perfect hair and a flawless body. However, when I stop to think about it, not many girls have this combination. Therefore, society’s supposed image of the “perfect” girl is flawed.

Even though girls are often the ones who get ridiculed because of the way they look, guys have to put up with it too. Like every other girl out there, I love looking at Ab

ercrombie models. However, I realized recently that it was not fair for me to hold regular guys up to this comparison. It is important to remember that these Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie models have personal trainers and dietitians they work with on a daily basis. The pictures taken of them are not natural. They are planned and are edited until the magazines have them just the way they want.

I went to the mall a lot over the summer. Therefore, I had to do something about the major self-esteem drop I got while passing Victoria’s Secret. This is when the whole concept of accepting myself really hit me. Sure, I could waste my time focusing on what I did not have, or I could focus on what I did. Now, every time I walk past the “perfect” girl posters I remind myself of my strengths. At first it was really hard, but over time it got easier.

Due to all the picture perfect images society has produced, the concept of accepting ourselves has been lost. It is so important for us to be aware of our good attributes, to be comfortable with who we are. Society’s whole image of perfection is distorted. In the end, it is our willingness to accept our imperfections that makes us beautiful. This is something a camera will never be able to capture.