I've spent a lot of time lately, just thinking about how brain-washed we are when in it comes to self-image.

From the day we are born, the brainwashing begins. Pink for girls; blue for boys; dolls for girls; trucks for boys........... Then there are the Fairytales that are read to us from a very early age; Good = Beautiful; Bad = Ugly

Think about it..... In pretty much every fairytale there is a "beautiful" princess and a "handsome" prince; there is an "ugly" stepmom or step-sisters and an "evil" and equally "ugly" bad man in some form or another.  And, ultimately, the good and beautiful win out over the bad and ugly.

Is it any wonder we grow up believing if we don't have a beautiful face and perfect figure, then we will not be seen as "good" and no-one will love us or like us; so we spend the rest of our life trying, striving for even,  what we perceive to be perfection.

However, it is a goal that few (if any) will ever attain and the truth is, external beauty and a perfect body (whatever that is) does not make a beautiful person. It IS what's inside that counts. The rest is just a facade.

I'm sure we have all come across a "beautiful" or "handsome" person at some time, that turns out to be so ugly on the inside you find yourself wondering how you ever saw them as beautiful in the first place.

Sure, we generally need to find someone physically attractive before we take the time to get to know them, but what do we measure attractiveness by? Is it an internal guage of measure, or the one that society has set during it's 'brainwashing' of us.

Body image is so overrated that many people cannot get past it.....be it their own body or someone else's. The truth is though, most people do not have a "perfect" body or face, yet we still seek it, not only in ourself, but when seeking a partner.

Moreover, I keep coming back to the same question - What is "perfect"? If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then there is no true definition of beauty, nor can there be such a thing as perfect. Perfect to me, means without flaw........and does a person exsist that is flawless? I think not; yet we still try desperately to find it or achieve it.

I wonder if I will live long enough to see the day when children are taught to love and respect others, regardless of their appearance, skin color, religion and so on. A time when how one looks is less important than how one behaves. When little girls don't grow up thinking that starving themselves will make them beautiful and worthy of love, and little boys will know that sharing their innermost fears and tears does not make them any less a person.

Perhaps if we all lost our ability to see with our eyes, and had it replaced by the ability to see with our hearts, the external wrapping would cease to be important.

I know I'm not "perfect" and frankly, I don't want to be. I am happy in the skin I'm in; yep, flaws and all, and given the opportunity to change my face or body for one more beautiful, I'd have to say "no thank-you".

The fact is that even if I had a gorgeous face and a body to die for, I'd still be me on the inside, and that's what makes me who I am..........and I happen to like who I am.