For clarity's sake, please allow me to define "queen" as I use it in this blog. I define a queen as a woman whose pride in herself and her heritage, her service to others, and her devotion to the upliftment of humanity make her appear as though she dons a crown on her head. It is a birthright of all women, but it is a title that must be earned, not one that is bequeathed. This blog is about my journey to the throne.
I try to make it a daily practice to encourage others to rise above worldly behavior, to be better versions of themselves. Please forgive me if I've ever implied that this was an easy task. I know from experience that it is a daily battle....one which I don't always win. Yes, it is a battle, a war. It is a battle which "society" as a whole wages against us on a daily basis via media, the lure of material goods, and other false representations of happiness in order to gain control of our loyalty. Yes, that's what's at stake. Your loyalty ensures you'll buy their products, rhetoric, policies, lies, excuses and so on. But what do we get out of it?
As much as I fight against what society calls "the norm," I too fall prey to it's attack. The assault, after all, begins at birth, so some things require daily reprogramming. My job has a lot of windows that I must pass several times during a day. I always intentionally glance at my reflection to ensure all is well, and inevitably dislike what I see. I begin to criticize everything I see in my reflection. It wasn't until the other day that I realized that I was playing right into the hands of the enemy.
I said to myself, 'how often have you told others to crush the so-called "standard of beauty" and look beyond the physical to find true beauty?' Yet here I am, every day, comparing myself to a standard that only 2% of the population can meet. (Yes, the beauty standard is another elitist scam perpetrated on the masses...and even they cheat!). I am so concerned with my outward appearance because I know that is how people judge me upon first impressions. But why do I care so much when I know that if people take time to really see me, they would find the beauty I have worked so hard to create inside me?
I have to admit that this is one battle that I have yet to find the right defensive and offensive strategy to win. I not only contend with the inculcation of the past, but also with the damaging words and experiences of the present. At some point, I have to take responsibility for my own involvement in the ravaging of my self perception. Honestly, I rarely, if ever, encounter women who look like Kate Moss, yet I meet many beautiful women all the time. Everyday I see posts on social networks of before pictures of a perfectly attractive woman, and the after picture of the same woman with muscles like men and bones protruding from their hips. Is that how I want to look? Certainly not.
At some point we all have to realize that we have a choice about what we believe and to whom we give our loyalty. We must learn to ask ourselves if buying into "the norm" or going with the "status quo" truly benefits us more than being who we actually are and desire to be. What is really in it for us, and can we actually attain lasting happiness by attaining a lifestyle of luxury and striving for an impossible standard of beauty? The battle is continuous and we can only win it together. Let us be conscious of what is really important: kindness, caring, selflessness, honesty, and love.
I try to make it a daily practice to encourage others to rise above worldly behavior, to be better versions of themselves. Please forgive me if I've ever implied that this was an easy task. I know from experience that it is a daily battle....one which I don't always win. Yes, it is a battle, a war. It is a battle which "society" as a whole wages against us on a daily basis via media, the lure of material goods, and other false representations of happiness in order to gain control of our loyalty. Yes, that's what's at stake. Your loyalty ensures you'll buy their products, rhetoric, policies, lies, excuses and so on. But what do we get out of it?
As much as I fight against what society calls "the norm," I too fall prey to it's attack. The assault, after all, begins at birth, so some things require daily reprogramming. My job has a lot of windows that I must pass several times during a day. I always intentionally glance at my reflection to ensure all is well, and inevitably dislike what I see. I begin to criticize everything I see in my reflection. It wasn't until the other day that I realized that I was playing right into the hands of the enemy.
I said to myself, 'how often have you told others to crush the so-called "standard of beauty" and look beyond the physical to find true beauty?' Yet here I am, every day, comparing myself to a standard that only 2% of the population can meet. (Yes, the beauty standard is another elitist scam perpetrated on the masses...and even they cheat!). I am so concerned with my outward appearance because I know that is how people judge me upon first impressions. But why do I care so much when I know that if people take time to really see me, they would find the beauty I have worked so hard to create inside me?
I have to admit that this is one battle that I have yet to find the right defensive and offensive strategy to win. I not only contend with the inculcation of the past, but also with the damaging words and experiences of the present. At some point, I have to take responsibility for my own involvement in the ravaging of my self perception. Honestly, I rarely, if ever, encounter women who look like Kate Moss, yet I meet many beautiful women all the time. Everyday I see posts on social networks of before pictures of a perfectly attractive woman, and the after picture of the same woman with muscles like men and bones protruding from their hips. Is that how I want to look? Certainly not.
At some point we all have to realize that we have a choice about what we believe and to whom we give our loyalty. We must learn to ask ourselves if buying into "the norm" or going with the "status quo" truly benefits us more than being who we actually are and desire to be. What is really in it for us, and can we actually attain lasting happiness by attaining a lifestyle of luxury and striving for an impossible standard of beauty? The battle is continuous and we can only win it together. Let us be conscious of what is really important: kindness, caring, selflessness, honesty, and love.
