Grow up to be you

When I asked my little sister what she wanted to be when she grew up, she answered, "You, sister." I realized then that little girls are under so much pressure to be like somebody else. They look in a magazine and see that their hair color isn't good enough, their freckles make them ugly, their boobs are too small, their face is unsatisfactory, they aren't tall enough. Fat. Skinny. Short. Tall. Ugly. Pretty. They see that they aren't good enough, never will be. Our world tells them that they have to look this way, dress this way, be this person. We are taking away their ability to decide for themselves. It's not fair that we ask them to be individuals. We ask them to make their personalities their own. Then we judge them because they don't look like everybody else. So, little girls, "a pretty face may get you a job or a second look, but a personality lets you keep the job, or the person's interest. Be individual. Your insides are more beautiful than anything you can see in a magazine."
To my little sister, "I'm not good enough for you to grow up to be like. Shoot higher, aim better. You and all the other little girls of the world have such a bright future ahead of you."

-Jessica d. Hunt