Insufficient. Flawed. Anxious

Like a trophy she stands on a pedestal that the world made. One of perfection. She holds her head high and gives a bright smile. They applaud her as they walk by, but no one ever stops to ask if she is okay.
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Behind the beautiful, structured appearance that people see, a silent tear escapes from the pressure. Perfect. She must be perfect.
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Behind that tear holds a thousand words. Three scream louder than the rest. Insufficient. Flawed. Anxious.
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She could drown in her tears and suffocate in these expectations. But she can’t. She must put on that mask once again, stand tall and smile, because that is what the world wants to see.
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Despite her tear, the people continue to walk past because she looks so strong, so stable, so perfect. She stops smiling. Not because of the way the world acts but because she can’t smile any longer. She collapses and falls, but the pedestal still stands.
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She gets up and runs. She runs away from those expectations that made her collapse and stand perfectly like a statue. As she looks back, she sees many others trapped by the perfect expectations; but she feels free. Free to cry, free to laugh and free to be herself.
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People may turn and look to see where she went. Some may yell at her to come back to her pedestal. But she chooses to be herself. Not one of the trophy’s made for display, but unique, beautiful, and imperfect.
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The above story is a part of 'i am her', a series using storytelling to talk about common insecurities of young girls in our society. We hope that this will create a sense of community and allow young girls to feel understood and seen amongst the situations that we face.