a palette of poems

rant|acceptance

\\i'm going to start posting rants on here about things I feel strongly about- in this case, acceptance and our lack of it//

acceptance is so rare. we, as a whole, complain about there being no acceptance in modern day society. we have set the standards so high that it is more than impossible to reach. we have created an absurd image of what the perfect human is supposed to look like. to attain many of these features you will have to undergo plastic surgeries, wear trainers that constrict the size of your waist, inject foreign substances into your body, take body enhancing pills and substances, etc. why? all to have "that body." have we not yet realized that this image is unhealthy for a human both mentally and physically? it destroys us as people. the rates of people harming themselves or restraining from eating because they want to obtain a certain body image is increasing dangerously. it messes up our mental state and clearly affects our physical state. models for clothing campaigns and underwear/bra ads are all abnormally thin and fit. these clothing lines seem to have all sizes but never even acknowledge that there are plus-size people out there. it's sad, truly sad that you have to fit society's image of perfect to be noticed. we are society. we are the ones who can make that change. but that's up to us. companies need to begin to hire plus-size models, people unsure of their identities, people who are willing to flaunt their beautiful bodies, people of color [withOUT] lightening their skin, people with stretch marks, people with beauty marks or freckles or moles or burns or scars or anything- but this image of a thin, fit person with perfect gleaming eyes, a perfectly toned stomach, long muscular legs, toned arms, the perfect butt and boobs, etc... neeeeeeeds to end.  have you noticed that models never have scars, or burns, or any other condition that would make their appearance different? these flaws are concealed, or if they're too obvious, they aren't hired. but why? scars and burns are proof of a survivor. stretch marks are natural stripes of achievement. beauty marks/freckles/moles/birthmarks are all beautiful patterns that were purposely placed on your body, just for you, unique to any other. also, another very common, but highly uncontroversial topic- body hair. if you're a girl, or even a guy, and feel uncomfortable that you have hair in places that you believe are not normal for hair growth, just know that it is perfectly normal. the only places on our body that will never grow hair are the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet. if you have hair anywhere else and think you're the only one, please know you're not. just because ads and commercials always show perfectly hairless people, does not mean it is real. we need to accept every single thing about one another. and NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER pick out a flaw in someone that they cannot fix quickly. something stuck in their teeth? make up smudged? something stuck to clothing? hairpin falling out? sure, tell them. they'll thank you. but if you think they're too fat, or too skinny, or too tall, or too short, or have bad acne, or have a skin condition, or a physical/mental illness, or too much acne, or anything that they cannot help- DO NOT MENTION IT. STAY QUIET. PLEASE. THEY MAY SEEM FINE BUT WHAT YOU JUST SAID WILL KILL THEM INSIDE. DO NOT TELL THE FAT GIRL IN THE LUNCH ROOM TO GO ON A DIET AND DO NOT TELL THE SKINNY GIRL TO EAT SOME FOOD. NO. ACCEPT THEM THE WAY THEY ARE AND IF THEY ARE WILLING, HELP THEM TO ACHIEVE A HEALTHY GOAL. and last, but certainly not least, we need to accept people of color, people that are trans or bi or lesbian or gay or even uncertain, and people that are depressed, anxious, or stressed. we need to accept the different races and religions. do NOT form an opinion of one certain group or category of people based on the actions of a few people that share the same background as them. 

accept everyone. accept disabilities, accept color, accept cultures, accept religions, accept body types, accept accents, accept traditions, accept mental/physical illnesses. accept it all. I AM IN NO WAY SAYING TO ADAPT IT OR CONVERT, I AM SAYING LET IT BE. ACCEPT THE FACT THAT IT EXISTS AND DO NOT TRY TO PUSH IT AWAY OR DEMOLISH IT.

our bodies were not made to be tucked and plucked and squeezed and injected into. i'm not saying that we should walk around not caring about our image, but we should not all be aiming for one image. our bodies work differently, our bodies are structured differently, and our bodies are never going to be the same. we need to accept people the way they are. there needs to be no image. there needs to be acceptance. 

-valentina accardo