The Ugliest Color

          "Oh look, there he goes. The handsome boy with those deep blue eyes that could make a fifty-year old nun swoon. His hair looks so soft you just want to run your hands through it all day (in a non-creepy way). And that smile...oh that smile. One glimpse of those pearly white teeth of his and you'll think you just saw Heaven. Ugh but look who he's with...her. Look at the way she walks like she owns the place. Her clothes all cute and coordinated. Who does she think she is? Well at least I'm prettier than she is. I probably have better grades too. He's a fool for picking her over me."
          If you're anything like I am, that internal conversation has gone through your head more than a few times. You feel bad for not having something (or someone) that another girl has, so you have to actively convince yourself that you are better than she is in one or more other ways. Here's the problem with that logic, though: it actually makes you worse. I'm not going to give you the don't-be-mean-because-you'll-hurt-someone's-feelings (blah blah blah) speech. I am going to tell you why that familiar shade of green called jealousy that we clothe ourselves in is the worst possible color for every skin tone.
          Let's go back to that little internal conversation we had while Danny Dreamboy was walking by with that girl. I bet if you held a mirror up to your own face at that exact moment, you would see a facial expression that would prompt your grandmother to give some threat like "your face is going to get stuck like that if you keep glaring." The kind of face that not only gives off a most unpleasant image, but is also known to cause wrinkles. So by convincing yourself of how much prettier you are than she is, you are actually making yourself appear less so. Sorry, but Maybelline hasn't invented an anti-jealousy cream yet.
          Not only does the jealous green monster hurt your outside, but also your inside. If you spend all your time being reliant on hurting others just to build yourself up, you'll soon realize that life turns into a very tiring and unnecessary competition. Your self-worth should not be dependent on cutting others down. The foundation you build yourself up on should be made up of things you have accomplished and the many blessings you have been given. In the end, you have to see that you are truly beautiful in your own way. And once you do see that, you will begin to understand that truly beautiful girls look only for the beauty in others.