Pretty Girls vs Girls Who Are Pretty

You might have heard this speech before, I kind of tell it a lot. It is the story of the Pretty Girls versus the Girls Who Are Pretty.

Pretty Girls are the arch nemeses of Taylor Swift in all of her music videos. They are Pretty because of their power. They are Pretty because they have something that you don't. It doesn't matter what it is, it could be their weight, their hair, their talents, their social status, but they have it and you don't. They are Pretty because of The Cheerleader Effect (coined from HIMYM). They are confident, they prey on you, sad girl in the corner with a book. Or you, girl who can't walk in heels properly, or you, girl who would rather spend your Saturday night watching Doctor Who than taking shots of Tequila.

They hold the power, because we let them, we Girls Who Are Pretty. Being Pretty is not a physical trait, not really. It isn't super hard to take someone who looks "plain" and fix their hair/makeup/outfit, and declare them Pretty, just look at Cinderella.

There was a show on TV during 2004 called The Swan. It was horrific. They found women who were "ugly" and made them "Pretty", and by Pretty, I mean completely unrecognizable due to a TON of cosmetic surgeries. At the end of it, the "winner" received  a modeling contract, a designer wardrobe, a week in Honolulu, Hawaii, a weekend in Las Vegas, $50,000 educational scholarship at Western International University, $10,000 of personal coaching, A 2004 Jaguar, $50,000 cash... JUST FOR BECOMING PRETTY. 

But, less about them, more about us.
Us Girls Who Are Pretty. And we ARE Pretty, I mean, physically Pretty, even though maybe we don't all know it. We are the girls who spent our adolescence in the mirror mimicking the Pretty Girls, trying to befriend them, analyze them, become them. But really, we were Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed, tripping up the stairs on her way back into high school. And maybe you're still Drew Barrymore and you still trip up the stairs, and that is ok. Because even if you can walk up the stairs like a normal person, that won't make you Pretty.

But I can tell you what will. Loving who you are will make you Pretty. Being kind to others will make you Pretty. Reading books and learning as much as you can about everything you can will make you Pretty. Surrounding yourself with people who love you for tripping up the stairs will make you Pretty.

This is not a Pretty Girl bash. And this is truly nothing about physical traits. You can be incredibly beautiful, and still not be a Girl Who is Pretty. Pretty Girls are Mean Girls. Their beauty is hurtful and they just it to put others down to put themselves up. If you're reading this, and you're a Mean Girl, at least be this kind of Mean Girl.

I could go on and on about what makes one Pretty, but I just feel that this explains it the best.

But, if not, this will.

-Amy Pond, Doctor Who