Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

The Beauty of Imperfection

Some say thinner is better, while others think we could all use a little meat on our bones. Some favor more muscle while others strive for less overall body mass. The list goes on: dark skin or light skin, straight hair or curly hair, more makeup or au natural. And we buy into it, swinging on this cultural pendulum as we comply with each passing trend.

My question is, why?

I am not a celebrity — I barely have a dozen followers on Twitter and I do not even have a college degree. But I know I am not alone when I feel cornered by the universal standards and expectations we create, which is why I feel as though I am in a position to say the following.

I think the impulse to conform and to categorize different lifestyles as right or wrong, better or worse stems from the fact that none of us actually know what we’re doing. We are each trying to find our place in this world, and are constantly evaluating and re-evaluating our life choices, in an effort to determine if we are en route to leaving behind the legacy we intend to hold to our name.

However, this simple truth is easy to forget, especially when so many people seem to have figured it all out, and give the impression that they are completely dialed in.

I truly believe we are each perfectly imperfect in our own way, which makes it even more frustrating when we put each other down. The culture we live in is too nitpicky and constantly focuses in on our flaws, which makes it incredibly difficult to become your own person and to be unapologetically different.

Yet we are constantly feeding this issue of misguided uniformity: we are responsible for giving the media, our peers and our community the power to dictate how we should live our lives, even though no single person actually has the credentials to determine which lifestyle is truly better for you.

Furthermore, I believe that while many of us have fought to be individualists, there is no denying that it is terrifying to determine what kind of person you want to be and to find the courage to hold your ground, even if doing so means standing alone.

Someone will always find something wrong with you and me, and the more “someones” there are, the more power they have to sabotage self-confidence. As much as we are expected to fit one of the many molds shaped by our culture, whether that dictates body type or brains or overall lifestyle, we should learn to stand up for ourselves and for each other. The only standard we should all hold ourselves to is happiness — genuine, pure, lasting happiness, whatever that might mean.

We are each flawed and imperfect — no one’s got it all figured out. The sooner we accept that we can all learn from each other, the sooner we will drown out the cultural influences that continually bring people down by targeting their weaknesses and harping on their differences. Be who you are and become who you want to be. Unapologetically.

Daria Etezadi is a rising sophomore in the School of Foreign Service. This is the final appearance of Made From Scratch.

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