Inches

"You don't have to put up with that waistline,"
"You need to lose a few off that awful 22."
"We have only your best interests in mind, so put that ribcage in a bind"
The advertised and the adverse,
Self loathing is a mantra
For centuries, deformities
Have been the bar of beauty amongst the strata...
It's hard to be 'pretty', it hurts to be beautiful. pain is okay when it's done for the 'right' reasons.
Unbearable heat, breathless lungs;
It's okay because girls 'just want to have fun'.
Blood-blistered rashes under iron cages,
a debatable subject over the ages.
Taught to be obedient well,
By your mother, your brother, your sister, your father...
Take off those unappealing inches, with some conforming tightened cinches.
Hypnotised by the looks you get when you walk into a room, arsenic on your face and oxygen full of fumes, this is existence- you do it all because it is why you're here, and pray tell, are you doing it well? A quick measurement around your waist should say, if you need to starve yourself at a faster pace. It doesn't matter that your stomach isn't where it should be anyway, because you are
The bees knees,
The cats' meow,
And the cat
A flying bird,
A henhouse gossip,
A chick
The good wife,
A princess,
Never the Queen
You are pretty, but your body is obscene
You are
The bell of the ball!
A goddess,
And a diva,
A doll
You are
My fair lady,
The fairer sex
Not as smart, not as strong
Work together? You can't even get along...
Infantile, objectifyable
Never a woman, always a girl.
"Uptight, b***h, prewd,"
"W***e, s**t, hoe, lewd."
If you stand up, your morality's low, don't be afraid to let a little modesty show.
Hide your shame, original blame;
Oppression in the name of-
Beauty.

Reviews

[Glen Thompson]

I really, really loved this. Even though it was complex, it wasn't at all difficult to stay with and understand and I feel like for some people it will really highlight the standard that many women are taught to look up to. I also think that it will go over some people's heads because they will still believe that there is nothing wrong with hurting or starving yourself, as long as it's in the name of beauty or in the name of finding/pleasing a man. I really hope that the people who read this will start to understand the standard. Really well done.

[Indra's Child]

Thanks for the review, and yeah,, me too.

[Chris Shaw]

A refreshing read, and one which all women should take note of. What some do in the name of beauty is beyond me. Natural beauty is best in my opinion. Good poem.

Boop boop

Chris

[Indra's Child]

Thank you for your review!
I really appreciate it.
Boop boop
Lp

[Oliver Lee]

this is one of the best beauty poems I've ever read. The idea that how stuck our society is on beauty standards is true, yet they don't even see how we're already killing our bodies by starving, and purging, and binding. Putting more pressure on someone who will never fit the "female beauty standards". Powerful

[Indra's Child]

Thanks for the review! Yeah, it always bugged me how people impose their standards on me- even now, after I came out as trans, they still see me and treat me in the most sexist way possible, as a female. I feel like these things just need to be said, you know? Brought up and analyzed, because if they aren't, they will continue to ruin people's lives.

[Oliver Lee]

Okay preach