‎Who told you what “normal” should look like?‎

Dear Society,
‎Who told you what “normal” should look like?

You parade standards around like a badge of honor—height charts for ladies, weight limits to be considered “pretty,” and complexion shades ranked by worth. You whisper lies in the ears of young girls, telling them they’re too tall to be feminine or too short to be noticed. That they’re too slim to be desired or too full to be accepted. Light skin gets glorified, dark skin gets scrutinized. And all the while, you act like you’re doing the world a favor.
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‎And to every single woman—you’ve turned her life into a countdown. As if her worth starts and ends with marriage and childbirth. Like her purpose was put on hold until someone gives her a ring and a cradle. But here’s what you’ve missed: our validation doesn’t come from trends, timelines, or trophies. It comes from God. He said we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
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‎Our guys are not spared. You load them with stereotypes that have no place in reality. Forcing them to believe they have to bear it all alone.
‎Then when the havoc has been wrought you sit and smile as you watch them crumble under the strain of weights that weren’t theirs to carry in the first place.
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‎And let’s not forget religion. Believing in God is labeled “fanatic,” yet the murder of innocent unborn babies is considered a choice. Living righteous is “too extreme,” but rebellion is celebrated in the name of freedom. We get shamed for choosing purity, but you cheer on perversion. What upside-down truth is that?
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‎Tall. Short. Slim. Fat. Light. Dark. You are handcrafted by the Creator of the universe. And you are more than good enough. That’s not up for debate—it’s divine truth.
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‎So to the girls who feel less, the guys who have been told ‘ Nobody is coming to save you’ thereby deceiving you into going at life alone and the believers who feel odd—hold your head high. You are not too much or not enough and you’re most definitely not alone and don’t have to do it all by yourself. You are exactly how God designed you.
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‎And as one of my favorite movie lines goes – “God made us just as we should be—more than good enough.”

Ifeyinwa Stephanie Anagbor is a poet who writes from Abuja.

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