Can I just say, it takes a lot of effort to be perfect. The Oxford Dictionary defines 'perfect' as "having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be; free from any flaw or defect in condition or quality." 

In other words, flawless. To be perfect is to be flawless. 

Yup, that's what the magazines tell us, that's what TV tells us, that's what everyone tells us. You gotta get rid of all your flaws, honey. Lose that tummy fat because it's a flaw. Ditch the curly hair because it's a flaw. Why is everything that is natural on a woman's body a flaw??? 

I once watched a Buzzfeed titled, "Women's Ideal Body Types Throughout History." In short, it was eye-opening. It proved that beauty is subjective--let me rephrase that: perfection is subjective. Look at the title of the video; they used the word 'ideal.' I'm a stickler for words, so let's go back to the good 'ole Oxford Dictionary; 'ideal' is defined as both a noun (a person or thing regarded as perfect) or an adjective (satisfying one's conception of what is perfect). 

Idealized perfection. That's what women have been told to strive for. Since the dawn of time, there's been a model to which we need to alter our bodies and minds to fit. 

I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and came across girls my age with thousands of followers. I thought to myself (very bitterly, I'll admit), "of course they're famous. It easy when you're that skinny." I didn't think it nicely; I didn't not care. No, I said it in such a way that my words dripped with venom and self-loathing.

Why? you may ask.

Because I don't look like that in the mirror. And there are dark days when I come to equate beauty to this new model: a very skinny, svelte girl, perfectly curvy, with just the right amount of bust. She rocks the hell out of a bikini (I'm sure you all have an idea of the girl). 

The Buzzfeed video showed women of all shapes and sizes. Apparently, the model for beauty wasn't always a size 0. And I'm not trying to shame anyone that is a size 0. I'm not here to shame anyone. Please understand that. I'm here trying to figure out why I feel self-conscious that my stomach is soft and pliable. Why does that bother me? It shouldn't. It's the marker of a healthy young woman. My doctor told me I am in the perfect bracket of BMI considering my height and my weight. So why does beauty trump health? 

It shouldn't. When everything's on the line--when it really matters--beauty doesn't. Health does. Cliche as it is, beauty fades, we get fat, wrinkles set in. And all we want is to be in good health. 

I'm writing this because I am a confident young woman with many doubts. I stare in the mirror and narrow my eyes at my reflection. But I also have to remember that no one's perfect. Because we are not. If they look perfect on a screen, it's because they have the number to a really good doctor. Flaws are inevitable. Flaws build character, and character offers personality. 

I hope that the standard of today's beauty changes in the next coming years because it can get brutal. It can get insidious and toxic. The standard of beauty should be individualistic; like a favorite ice cream flavor. I love strawberry, you love chocolate. No questions asked; no dieting or plastic surgery necessary. 

Click on the video to watch Buzzfeed's "Women's Ideal Body Types Throughout History."