When I was  kid,
they told me that
“pretty hurts”

What they didn’t tell me
was that it hurt your stomach
because you tried to starve yourself
so that you could attempt to
meet society’s definition of
“perfect”

They didn’t tell me
that it hurt to look in the mirror
because every time you looked,
a stranger stared back at you
and the only thing you could feel was contempt

They didn’t tell me
that it would hurt your wallet
because you spent all your money on makeup
so that you could give the world
a different face

I was told about rejection
But no one ever warned me about acceptance
Acceptance
by the wrong people

The people that
care more about the curves on your body
than the smiling curve of your lips

The people that
make you realize all the things
that aren’t good enough

They told me
“pretty hurts”
But they never said
how much