When I was younger I had no dolls that looked like me... we look to barbies and other dolls as a symbol of beauty & for a long time I had no outer symbol of beauty for myself. In this society when you're different it doesn't necessarily mean you're beautiful & it took quite a while to realize that just because I looked different from everyone else it didn't make me ugly it actually did make me beautiful & unique as well. 
I've learned over the years to appreciate my "uniqueness" & maintain a confident demeanor on the outside even if I didn't necessarily feel confident on the inside.
There is a saying that goes "Dress for the job you want, not the one you have". Well, I've changed that quote to "Act like the person you aspire to be not the person you are". Basically just piggybacking off of the previous quote but it has a lot of truth to it. Many young men & women are so blinded by magazines & billboards & the beautiful models that we happen to see all around us. It is quite difficult to take a step back and say "Well, although I don't look like her/him, that's OK & it's OK because I look the way I'm suppose to look and the way I look is beautiful/handsome." That's not an easy thing to do.
It is crucial that you surround yourself with people who have similar goals as you and people who share the same morals as you, even people who share similar interests as you. The point is... The more you surround yourself with people that share something with you that passes the exterior & superficial the better you will feel about yourself. Those are just a few of my thoughts on outer beauty & inner love.
Thank you for your post. Not sure if you have seen this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/films/a_girl_like_me/