English: World Bodypainting Festival Asia . Day Two. Nude woman with blonde hair with large bodypainting Deutsch: nackte blonde Frau mit großem Bodypainting (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Dear girl,
You take the blame for
So many things.
Without questioning
They condemn you,
You are the chosen one:
The ultimate fall girl.
But they don’t know you
Like I know you.
To me, your beauty pales in
Comparison to your strength.
You are wise beyond your years,
A feminist before your time,
A role model.
Still, they tear you down
And make you the scapegoat.
You made me believe
That I could
Be anything
Do anything
On my own.
I could have children.
Or not.
I could love men.
Or not.
Your life didn’t revolve around
This narrow stereotype,
And I learned that mine didn’t have to either.
We see what we want to see.
I see strength
Where they see boobs.
I see independence
Where they see blonde hair.
We both see the glamour and beauty—
It’s impossible to ignore and yet—
You’re so much more.
If only they would give you a chance,
Get to know you
Like I know you.
Maybe then they would
love you like I love you.
But they won’t.
It’s easier to blame you
Than question
And look deeper.
And so you will remain
The ultimate fall girl,
The glamourous scapegoat,
The chosen one.
–August 2013
Notes: I’d like to thank my friend who challenged me to justify and defend my love of the chosen one and inspired me to write this poem. I think too often we are quick to jump on bandwagons that single out one solitary person/place/thing particularly in the areas of body image. As someone who struggled with a significant eating disorder for several years and who still has body image issues, I know that it was not one particular thing that started me down that road. If only it were that easy–to remove that which we have designated as the target. It’s not.
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