A filter is used to hide the parts of us we don't like and enhance the parts we do.

But why do we not "like" parts of ourselves?

Society is always telling us to "be ourselves" and "color outside the lines,"

but in the end, the only ones who get noticed 

are the ones who have erased all of who they once were

and become everything they promised themselves they'd never be.

See, in a world like this, the "beautiful" thrive,

while the rest have to fight just to survive.

Now when I say beautiful, I'm pretty sure I know what you imagine.

A skinny girl with perfect hair and makeup,

not a chubby girl like me who has never fit in.

I'm guessing your favorite filter is "black and white,"

because it makes you look "prettier" and "thinner," right?

WRONG.

People see you as they want,

filter or not.

But why do we care so much?

Why is our self-worth placed in how many likes our picture gets

or whether or not that guy who smiled at us in the hall once follows us on instagram?

Why is it that we can't just look in the mirror and say

"I

AM

BEAUTIFUL."

Because mirrors don't have "advanced features"

where we can erase a pimple 

or whiten our teeth

for just a small fee of $1.99.

And mirrors don't have that filter that makes our eyes pop or our face thinner.

Because we need to be the thinnest

or the meanest

or the most drunk one at the party

to get people to notice us...

Here's a secret: 

the people we feel the need to impress don't really want to make time for us anyway.

If they did, we woudln't need to live our lives in "sepia" or "lo-fi" to make them like us.

So stop living your life through filters and just

live.

#nofilter