Will anyone accept this girl for who she is? Entirely?
Will they appreciate her roots? Not just the flowers that bloom.
Will they ever be able to understand that it is possible for beauty, true beauty, to be manifested through these veins of mine?

When I look into the eyes of any human being -especially if they are growing closer to me- the one thing I fear is that they never come to appreciate me in my entirety. That, they will always leave out a piece. That, something will always be misplaced. That, when they paint the picture of my beauty, some essential parts will be missing from it.
I don't want that. I am not going to change who I am to suit your false idea of what beauty should look like. I wont settle for that. I wont settle for less. I refuse. I have done so for way too long. I deserve to be appreciated. Every inch of my being should be adored. By the one who deserves to.

You know, I was once told by someone I loved, that he was going to fix me. And I thought about that. He wanted to fix the portrait?  I pondered on that for a while. I didn't tell him anything though, after all, it wasn't that serious of a comment. But, I couldn't help but wonder "Where did that come from? What part of him thought that I needed to be changed? It came from a sincere place, didn't it? Though it came through jovial doors, it lived in there? What does that say? What does that mean?"

It means that somewhere inside these walls of his, he has got it twisted.
Photography: Amil Laforce


So, I am addressing the males. Those who have it twisted. Those who think it is their right to treat us women like a bunch of items on a shelf to choose from. If you can't appreciate God's unique work in every woman, you need to check out yourself. Where does that come from?

Now let me throw in a little disclaimer: It is okay to have preferences, we all have them. But what is wrong is thinking you are entitled to the position of stating someones worth. Thinking you have some right to dictate whether they need to be changed or not. If you don't like it that is your problem. Not theirs. No one has to live up to your standards. You did not make her, you cannot change her. You do not live in her shoes. You do not walk her walk. Her beauty is not merely outward but she has so much more depth than that. She is God's daughter. She ought to be treated with respect and like the royalty she is. It is not up to you. And if you are treating someone badly, only because you do not think they are worthy of love, based on their looks, then you my friend need to take a good look in the mirror. 

Now, woman, you are priceless. Something to be adored. To be treasured. To be loved. By a man who appreciates beauty. Who understands that, although true beauty is found on the inside, the outward is not irrelevant. Because you were made from him. Bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. And if he thinks you lack, you just might not be the problem. Maybe its him.
Do you understand me? Maybe the problem does not lie in you, but in him.

Your beauty goes way past the surface of your skin. And the one who is brave enough to look further, look past the facade, will discover even more treasures. Treasures that are far more than silver or gold or rubies and pearls. He will find that of a humble and gentle spirit. He will discover the things that money cannot buy. The things that a lot of pretty facades cannot afford. A lot of the things that they cannot withhold. Because in you is something worth way more, it is the very Spirit of God. Which transforms you, making your facade even more beautiful, now, worth it.
Photographer: Amil Laforce