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# pretty hurts
- URL: https://sincerelyskylar.co/pretty-hurts/
- Published: 2026-07-09T18:59:33.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-09T18:59:33.000Z
- Author: Skylar Barron
- Tags: Essays

I am pretty. I know that I am. So why do I feel this way? 

I love my lips — the perfect size and shape for my face. 

My face — beautiful. How my eyes crinkle when I smile. How I squint when I concentrate. How I can raise one eyebrow at a time and make silly faces. 

My teeth — very cute and definitely white enough. They do their job. Chew my food. Fill my smile. 

My legs — wonderful and strong. Take me on adventures. Hold me up. 

My arms — lean and long. They can reach the top shelf. Carry books and cup of coffee. Pick up my cats.

Then I go online, and suddenly, I am hideous. Everything is wrong with me. Half of me is not enough, while the other half is too much. 

My lips — not big enough. Or pink enough.

My teeth — too yellow. Too imperfect. 

My legs — too thick, and most certainly too round. 

My arms — nowhere near small enough. 

And I should fix that — at least that’s what I am told.

**Over.**

**And over.**

***And over again.*** 

It’s shoved down my throat. Beat into my brain. 

But the fixes are simple!

Lips? Inject, inject, inject. And then inject a little more. Make them big and swollen. And then tattoo some color on them for good measure. But if you’re lazy and broke, then make sure you at least overline them. If you look like a clown — who cares! We want them big! We want them pink!

Face? Freeze it. Poke it. Stab it. How dare your forehead move when you cry! How dare you smile, and have proof of it! Disgusting, should your facial muscles express joy, or make a child laugh — disgusting, should you use them at all!

Teeth? Veneers! But if you won't commit to shaving and whittling down your functional, healthy teeth, at the very least, you should get some composite bonding. No one cares for the uniqueness of your smile, nor the chip on your canine that tells a wonderful story. 

Legs? Restrict. Count your calories. Go do cardio, maybe too much cardio. Don’t lift — you’ll get bulky. Skinny is in! And even if you’re skinny, you’re not skinny enough. In fact, maybe try some Ozempic. We want to see bone! We want to see the hollows of your cheeks and the shadows of your collar bone. The tendons, the ligaments, we want it all on display! 

Arms? The same deal. But if you *really* want to take care of yourself, you should try lipo! Every little bit of skin, we want it trimmed. We want it tight. We want it invisible. 

Are you pretty yet?!

You must be! If you have twisted and warped and shaved and frozen and ruined yourself, certainly you must be beautiful! Did you do it? Did you destroy yourself? Erase yourself? Are you anywhere to be found? This is the only way. 

You mustn’t want the face you were born with — how narcissistic and egotistical of you to ever think that you were enough. 

Look in the mirror and see it. Do you recognize yourself? No? Good! That means it’s working. You are getting closer!

Do you feel happy? No? Perfect! You are almost there! Beauty is pain, remember? And oh, how it hurts. It stings and burns and numbs and swells. 

But I’m pretty — right?! Please tell me I’m pretty! 

And you’ll never feel it, but that’s not the point. As long as everyone else thinks it. 

But one day, when your daughter looks at you, with her pretty, thin lips, crooked teeth, a nose that once belonged to you, wrinkles from smiling, and legs as strong as an ox — what will you tell her? ***Will you tell her that she’s pretty?*** 

### ***Sincerely,***

### ***Skylar***