You called me a natural beauty and I stopped in my place,
A phrase I've longed to hear with a bittersweet taste
The beauty I hold is not that of my own,
It’s molded and formed,
Grown and worn,
Created from a thing called colour theory,
Studied through Fashion Magazines and Anonymous Pages,
Manifestations and Nutrition Labels memorized better than a math test,
Calories are counted on the fingers left on my hand,
Posture and movements filled with grace formed by tears streaming down my face
Photos snapped with manipulated lights and rotating angles into the right place
With a click of a button there's a new face
Powders and blush, toners and gloss
Mold a new face, refreshened every hour
I drink a lot of water.
Anything with caffeine as long as it has zero sugar, gives me all the energy I need to walk a little farther.
So maybe I’m pretty but not without effort
A beauty so fake and easy to replace
An artificial type, with a plastic aftertaste.
Emma Rose Hawkins
Grade: 12 / CEGEP I
Bellerose Composite High School
St. Albert, AB
“This poem is about beauty standards and the pain that comes with backhanded compliments. How despite hearing words you long to hear there's still such a pain when your hard work or serious struggles go unrecognized. How what society seems to deem as natural beauty can feel just as if not more "artificial" or fake as makeup magazines.”
Bio
Emma Rose is a Grade 12 student at Bellerose Composite High School. She loves writing poetry, daydreaming, and yoga. She loves music and is passionate about mental wellness. Her art focuses around the bittersweet aspects of life, hoping to touch someone's soul the same way poetry and music has hers.