Do you remember looking in the mirror as a child pretending you were a star? Your hairbrush and bath towel transformed into a microphone and luxurious locks. You were on stage in your own little imaginary world where everyone thought you were...beautiful.
When we are young, our opinion of beauty is based on the external things we see. From Cover Girl magazine pages to Colgate television ads, we were starry eyed with glossy perfection.
As we grow older and our hearts expand beyond the love for birthday cake and jungle gyms, something happens with our perception of beauty. Our eyes jump off the pages and screens and what was once seen as perfect becomes a flashy imitation of what is actually real.
There is something intangibly delightful about our flaws. We look at someone's scar and appreciate their inner pain. We see the anguish in their eyes and want to convince them - it's what makes them unique, even more beautiful.
There is a common thread weaving its way through the pages in my manuscript about beauty that I hope you will relate to.
After years of self-abuse and trying to mask my own external pitfalls, writing about where I was so long ago is helping me realize something: The flaws are the best part.
