Perfectly Imperfect: Real Bodies, Real Beauty, Real Talk

Michele Renee
Jul 4, 2025
4 min read

What is a defect? The lack of something necessary or desirable for completion or perfection; a deficiency. A visual defect.

And just like that, the definition makes me ask, What is perfection? Perfection is supposedly “without flaws.” And a flaw?

It’s literally defined as something that mars perfection… a defect. So… round and round we go.

“It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.”

We create our own happiness. Period.

Life isn't about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself. Be who you want to be.

No apologies. From as early as I can remember, I hated what society told me “perfection” was supposed to look like.

I found beauty in the opposite of what we were told to admire. And honestly? Still do.

I hated TV, commercials, models, magazine covers. I hated how they dictated what was beautiful.

I still proudly stay anti-TV, and I don’t see that changing.

In fact, I vow to change the power of the media for the better.

Because let’s be real: Television (and now social media) is dripping with messages. Messages disguised as "truth" especially about beauty. And we eat it up.

We follow influencers like prophets, copying their clothes, hair, makeup, even their personalities. It’s wild.

Women yes, we often compare ourselves to each other based on unrealistic, airbrushed lies.

We’ve been trained to accept society’s judgment of us. And worse, we teach it to our daughters.

We’ve now started doing the same to our boys pushing toxic expectations onto them before they even know their worth. “Tall, dark, rich, and jacked” or they’re not dateable? And then we wonder why the good ones are overlooked while the douchebags win.

We’ve become sell-outs to our own future generations. People lose themselves because they’ve spent their lives imitating others. Cloning TikTok trends. Shopping to “keep up.” Dressing for validation.

Where’s the YOU in that?

I went to private school and had to wear the same thing every day. But you know what I didn’t do? I didn’t wear that neat little bow. I wore my hair messy. I shaved the sides. I flipped it. I shocked the world with my loud little “I don’t follow rules” energy. I’ve always taken pride in my evolving look. Some days I’m glam, some days I’m grunge, some days I’m chill but I’m always me. Comfort over trends. Style over suffering.

Emily Dickinson—so plainly beautiful.

Katherine Hepburn once said: “It is the plain women who know about love; the beautiful women are too busy being fascinating.”

Makeup? It was my first artistic outlet. My face was my canvas, and I loved the drama of it. I could paint feelings that words couldn’t express. Dark, moody eyes. Bright, bold lips. A thousand different versions of me none of them fake.

Over time, I collected scars (skateboards, sketchy places, stories). Each one? A chapter.

Then came the smile lines, frown lines… and honestly? They gave the face character.

You could read a lifetime in someone’s expression: Worry. Joy. Triumph. Grief. That’s earned beauty.

And speaking of earned beauty… let’s talk about the rest of this deliciously diverse world: Some people smile with overbites.

Others flash a gap-toothed grin that lights up a room.

Stretch marks. Scars. Freckles. Moles. Hair that won’t sit still. Sexy. All of it. Petite people? Like little lightning bolts fast, feisty, and full of fire. My boyfriend says he forgets how small I am because my spirit is huge. He sees my essence, not my size.

Bigger-bodied people? They’re warmth personified. They wrap you in arms that feel like home. They’re endless in the best way. Big bear energy.

And women? Let’s do better. Stop judging men by their looks or height or wallet. Stop friend-zoning good humans just because they don’t look like Thor.

Start seeing people for who they are. Here’s something I’ll never forget a quote from a beautiful soul~

“True beauty lies in the heart.

I used to envy the supermodel figure and wanted that ‘perfect’ body, but I was never happy. Now that I’ve accepted myself, I seem to get more love than ever. Confidence is key. God made us all different for a reason, He’s a creative artist. Thank God for the random arrays of beauty.” Can we get an amen?

And tall folks? Yeah, I envy your view from up there. Every time I’m on my tiptoes struggling to reach something, I wonder what the world looks like in your shoes. Bottom line: There are no defects. No imperfections that aren’t perfect.

“Always love you first.

Find the originality that you possess, the beauty that lies within, and the strength that carries you. When you shine, love for others follows naturally.” — Michele Espinoza