Your unrealistic standards of beauty and success are bringing you down

One of the strangest compliments I ever got was at a work’s party where a girl approached me and said:

“The girls and I have been talking, you’re not traditionally handsome, but there’s something about you.”

That something was substance. A non-superficial quality that made me ‘attractive’ without potentially ‘looking’ attractive. The fact that it was a talking-point always made me question it.

We, as a society, project an idealised reality through the lens of social media, advertising and programming. We even beautify phone camera images before they get shared with friends.

This ensures we subconsciously and constantly absorb these high standards and reject any flaws that we see in ourselves.

Your goal is to rationalise media and advertising’s role to sensationalise and idealise life — selling you on the idea of perfection and the products to get you there.

When you discard these arbitrary standards and start loving yourself for your character and ability to positively impact others in life, you’ll be set free.