Palate for Style

Majority of my younger years were spent worrying about how I looked. Am I pretty enough? Am I beautiful? Can I ever be thin? Why are my eyebrows so thick? *My face isn’t a jungle for them to grow like bushes!* What’s the deal with my moustache? *As much as I am all about gender equality and respecting men, looking like one wasn’t in my 5 year life plan!*  Can I ever look remotely like the stars I see on TV/movies/magazines? Maybe not, after all my nose is so long, my lips too thin, my thighs so big, my legs too short.. Blah blah blah blah. *Baby M was definitely not as cool as present M*.

I want to go back in time and tell baby M that YES YES, one day you’ll  be able to look and feel gorgeous. You’ll also be able to strike a pose like a model.

Ok maybe not like a model but something that looks more like droopy 🐶

I would have also told Baby M  to not limit her dreams to being beautiful and pretty only. She can and should be so much more than that. Dream to live a beautiful life filled with a little bit of ugliness, a little bit of adventure, a lot of laughter and a lot of love.

The point I am trying to make is that anyone, absolutely anyone can look gorgeous! I am not saying it to make you feel good. Oh no no.. I am simply stating the truth. All you need are some pretty clothes, makeup, right hairstyle, accessories and the right poses ! Agreed that it may take some work, time*and ofcourse money* but looking beautiful or gorgeous is not rocket science and to be frank, not a big deal.. It’s not something that makes us superior or qualify us for a better life. And it sure should never ever define us! Sadly, majority of us are fixated with the idea of looking beautiful and even more fixated with being defined only for our outer beauty. Not ashamed to admit that I was one of them. But hey, now I am all grown up and deep and stuff.. 😋

But seriously, looking a certain way is so very easy. You know what is more difficult but oh-so satisfying? Being kind, honest, strong, courageous, hard working, helpful, fearless, adventurous, authentic,  loving and a million other things. Why do we want to be remembered for our outer appearance when we can be defined and known by so many kick-ass adjectives? I would rather be called authentic, real, clumsy, funny, energetic than “so pretty”. Oh please don’t put my personality in a box by calling me beautiful. And if you do insist on calling me beautiful, please tell me I am a beautiful soul, a beautiful human, a beautiful friend, a beautiful companion.. All of us are so much more than just a pretty or handsome face. And I urge you to define your own beauty that goes beyond what meets the eyes.. For me, these are some of the qualities I aspire to be that go beyond “beautiful”..

AUTHENTIC ..

..so authentic that I gloriously show my baggy, dark circle covered eyes without apologizing for them. I see so many of the most gorgeous ladies start their videos/insta stories/snapchat sessions apologizing for the mess they look like. It breaks my heart to see them do that. Please don’t apologize for the glorious mess you are! And by showing the real you and your wonderful personality, you are helping another Baby M be okay with not looking like Miss Universe and rather focusing on being real and strong!

RAW ..

..so raw that I am not scared of sharing my deepest fears, battles with self-image, struggles with emotions. All of us have our share of emotional baggage and daily struggles. Just knowing that you aren’t alone can do wonders. Also, being raw makes life easier. You don’t have to put on a facade to project a life of perfection, which can be so draining. 🙂 Remember it’s okay to be not okay all the time!

IMPERFECT ..

..so imperfect that I am not afraid to live life with an open heart. Being okay with imperfection opens so many doors. It makes you okay with failure which according to me is the biggest blessing. I am always so afraid to fail that I don’t even try (more on it some other time). So yeah, to get better I am working on being mediocre. 😉

FUN..

..so fun.. Oh wait, I think I already am super fun! 😎 *Some people think otherwise but* I think I am just too hilarious and funny.. so yeah no work needed here. 😼 See I also take fun pictures looking at imaginary stuff. Proof enough. Period.

About the Outfit

I wanted the outfit for this post to be glamorous solely because I wanted to show how easy it is to achieve this look and how each one of us can look “beautiful”. Thanks to the online store Zaful, this dress  fit the bill perfectly. I fell in love the moment I saw the sleeves. Seriously, I am super easy to convince when it comes to buying clothes. Also, $18 price tag made the decision even more easier! 🙈 If you want to buy clothes that are in trend without shelling out too much money, do check them out. Please note that the shipping takes time and definitely double check the sizes as they tend to run smaller than US standard sizes. ☺️

This poem by Nikita Gill pretty much sums up the post –

DON’T BE BEAUTIFUL

They keep saying that beautiful is something a girl needs to be.

But honestly? Forget that. Don’t be beautiful.

Be angry, be intelligent, be witty, be klutzy, be interesting, 

be funny, be adventurous, be crazy, be talented-

there are an eternity of other things 

to be other than beautiful.

And what is beautiful anyway

but a set of letters strung together to make a word?

Be your own definition of amazing, always.

That is so much more important that anything beautiful, ever. 

This year has started off magically with a lot of firsts. This post is even more special because I am collaborating with an absolutely gorgeous blogger Tivoli who writes at Project Vivre. Isn’t the blog name super cool? When I first started blogging, I was so fascinated by Tivoli and stalked all her blogs. 🙈 I love how strong with her opinions she is and always has the best words of wisdom. Both of us feel exactly the same way about this concept of beauty and it was so much fun writing down our perspectives. Read her post by clicking here – Project Vivre.

What do you aspire to be? I would love love to hear your thoughts on this post. Thank you so much for stopping by. See you all next week. Ciao – Love, M ❤️

OUTFIT DETAILS –

Dress – c/0 Zaful

Tights – Nordstrom – $14

Heels – Old navy (similar)- $25

Earrings – Baublebar – $32