Opinion Piece By Jackie

This is a piece written by a dear friend of mine that I wanted to share with you! It highlights how we women are equally shamed for not being perfect, and then shamed for trying to be! So frustrating! Please enjoy, and let me know if it resonates with you. Love, Mariah

The Following is an Opinion Piece. Sometimes I get shit for taking selfies.  Ok, I get that. But shit for using filters? Or altering the photo?  I don't get that. 
What a wonderful technology we have! Magazine-quality editing, available on most phones, and easy to do once you get the hang of it! Its fantastic! 
Ok.. filters are basically selling a lie ( shocking, right? And in case you can't tell, that's sarcasm) but WE KNOW that filters exist. It's common knowledge! No secret! 
When I was 13 years old, I looked through fashion mags, hating myself because I didn't look like the models, and I was not fully tuned in to the "lie" that is photo editing. It would be years of self-loathing before I understood it. As a result, I avoided photos. That's why between the ages of 12 & 24, there are probably less than a dozen pics of me. Missed moments of my life, because of camera fright.
Lots more pics today. So what if I edit? I waited a long time for this technology. And some teenage girls today, don't have to go through what I did, or know that shitty feeling of ducking the camera. If you feel cute,or sexy, or silly, or feel like creating a "moment" that is completely fabricated, or just having fun.... I say, do it! Edit the shit out of it! Filter it up if you got it! No shame! 
Because once upon a time... we couldn't. And some of us REALLY wanted to.

~Jackie