I’m finding more and more that it’s not about how people look that’s attractive to me, but what’s in their minds and hearts, and how they express themselves.

It’s so EASY to try and dress up and be traditionally attractive. Some of the shallowest, most boring people I know are ‘traditionally pretty’ and have been able to skate by on that, rather than the force of their personality/intelligence/self-work/good deeds. It’s like a Get Out of Jail Free card or something.

The most interesting, fun, insightful, and ATTRACTIVE (by which I mean people are drawn to them!) people I know are non-traditionally pretty people. And that ‘pretty’ comes from within. The goofy grin, the sparkle of wit and intelligence in their eyes, the delighted laugh, the raised eyebrow.

I myself grew up with braces and frizzy hair, always almost the tallest one in class, always the girl in the corner with a book, wearing hand-me-down clothes and flannel shirts. I’ve never felt “pretty” either, and I think it’s made me a better person. I get to focus more on the other aspects of myself that make me awesome…and when people say “wow, you’re so gorgeous!” it doesn’t really matter one way or another, although I sort of enjoy subverting the ideas of ‘traditionally pretty’ sometimes by wearing outlandish costumes and other fun stuff, despite my being “overweight/curvy”. Fat-bottomed pride, yo.