Let’s face it: we (as in the majority of North America) are a society that places incredible emphasis on what the general population deems to be beautiful. We’ve chosen a certain type of body that we feel is aesthetically pleasing, and then placed that body image on a pedestal so high that all we can do it stare up at it in awe, and know we’ll never reach it or even come close.

What is that doing to us? What is that doing to our children? To our self-esteem and priorities and evaluation skills?

Everywhere we look, we’re marketed to on the topic of beauty. We buy makeup and hair product and clothing that we feel inches us closer to the body image that’s pushed in our faces.

We purchase gym memberships and fat-free food and acne medications.

All for the sake of making ourselves appear more in line with what our neighbours and friends and family are telling us is perfect—a description that doesn’t even make sense and is certainly not attainable. You lose before you begin. Trying to keep up with today’s conventional beauty standards is impossible and harmful.

The goal simply cannot be attained.

We know this, because models in magazines are airbrushed. They go to makeup and hair for four hours before they begin shooting their spreads, and when they’re done, they go workout for more hours so they can keep up the illusion of their perfect bodies.

Here’s the thing: unless we’re identical twins and share exactly the same DNA, none of us look the same. We’re different. And if we all looked the same, wouldn’t that be boring?

(Or creepy? Thinking Village of The Damned, here…)

Instead of teaching our kids to groom themselves a certain way, dress the way we dress, or adore images of “perfect” people, let’s give them the gift of diversity! We are a diverse species…wouldn’t it be simpler and more satisfying and interesting to just let everyone be themselves and look however they want to look?

Who cares if your hair isn’t as long as your best friend’s. Why does it matter if you have freckles or big thighs or small boobs or big feet? Do having these trivial differences make an actual difference in your quality of life?

Be proud of who you are, what you do, and how you conduct yourself. We can’t choose our genetics and we shouldn’t have to feel pressured to look a certain way. But we can choose other things, like how we treat people, how well we take care of ourselves, and what kind of friends we choose to associate with.

And we can choose to love our bodies because they work for us every single day. They deserve gratitude, not pressure! Work on developing a positive body image, not one that will create confusion. Life is confusing enough, already!

Here’s our advice: be you. It really is the only option, and once we all accept that diversity is a blessing and not intimidating, we can take a deep, collective breath and enjoy our lives just a little bit more. Be proud of you for you, and don’t try to live up to anyone else’s beauty standards but your own.

What do YOU find beautiful about people? If you really think about that question, we doubt anything cosmetic pops into your head, first.

Beauty is diverse—so be your diverse self.

And remember that if you like hair removal, that sugaring is for every body, not just one type. We promise.