Pretty - A poem

Its real name is grief

And disappointment

And anger

You do not owe the world pretty

But why

Is it so ingrained in our society?

The anger boils inside me always

Wishing for a trigger to bring it out

I feel slighted by those older than me

Or, maybe, just those stupid enough

To make girls into dolls

Make them value prettiness

Above talent

Maybe it's not stupid

Maybe it's just the way we were taught

Not our fault

But is this a human issue or a societal issue?

You do not owe the world pretty

It is not important

Until it is - social media, modelling, make-up

As with everything, words are said but actions are not taken

To hammer forth the idea of intelligence before looks

In little girls' minds

We need this. Humans need this.

But society perhaps, probably, definitely does not

By Helen Flower