It is in today’s era of modern thought and self-expression that I find the most peculiar discrepancy. Plastered across the various platforms of social media are people, millions of people, who yearn to carve out a space for themselves. Everyone wants to have their own corner, a spot where others can look on and say “wow!”

We strive for perfection in this spot, grooming it and plucking it to make way for the next viewer. We are constantly putting on a show, an act, a performance. It is within our online presence that we meet our biggest rival. Even in a culture of exhibitionism, we are hidden. 

Two words that never cease to scare and scathe. A challenge against the society that urges us to display one thing but hide everything else. 

Show yourself. 

Two words that have the power to raise signs of protest. Two words that coat faces in shame and take a highlighter to our biggest insecurities. Two words with the power to change everything. 

If something is not pretty, or dainty, or gentle, it must be hidden. If your toes set the scale higher than a weight deemed “beautiful,” suddenly your body no longer belongs in that shirt that doesn’t encapsulate your stomach or those jeans that show your curves. When your teeth refuse to align in one perfect row, you feel less compelled to smile. Waking up in the morning with a smattering of newfound red bumps dotted on your face leads to frantic coverage or distractions from what yesterday seemed like the most beautiful thing in the world. 

When did we forget the magic of our human-ness? The same stomach deemed “too big” has the capability to nourish life and an entire human being. Those teeth that reside behind lush lips speak words of truth and love. Your skin works tirelessly each and every day to protect you from the harshness of the outside world. 

We are so often urged to take up less space. We are hushed if we can’t morph and squish ourselves into the mold of what others want us to be. We become afraid to show ourselves, our true selves. All of our parts—the beautiful and the not-so-beautiful—deserve to be put on display. 

The space that you take up in this world is not synonymous to shame. Or discomfort. Or ugliness. Take up all of the space you want. Show up, loud and proud. Put all of those insecurities on display. 

Show yourself.