Renee Engeln

take on the world

So many young women today are strikingly bold in important areas of their lives, but still crumble in front of the mirror

Those who shame women for their appearance feed beauty sickness. Those who praise girls and women only for how they look do the same.

If you feel short of time and money, but still spend plenty of both trying to push yourself closer to our culture’s beauty ideal, you can blame beauty sickness.

when your little girl
asks you if she’s pretty
your heart will drop like a wineglass
on the hardwood floor
part of you will want to say
of course you are, don’t ever question it
and the other part
the part that is clawing at
you
will want to grab her by her shoulders
look straight into the wells of
her eyes until they echo back to you
and say
you do not have to be if you don’t want to
it is not your job