"The celebrities that you compared yourself to also have their own sets of insecurities on their plate. They aren't as perfect as they seem to be. Most of them do cosmetic surgery, do you know why?" Alora asked softly.
"To fix the part of their body they are insecure about," Sarah's voice was so small and barely audible that had not Alora and Maya been this close to her, they won't hear a single word.
"It's because they think that they aren't perfect enough. They think that if one part of their body can be changed then maybe they will feel better about themselves but it's not true. They feel the need to change themselves to be accepted by society. They aren't confident enough. They are just as insecure as you are if not more. Most of them also suffer from eating disorders and other illnesses such as anxiety, depression, etc," Alora looked at both of their faces.
She started again," I am repeating the word most, I know. The reason behind this 'most' is that not everyone suffers from the same situation. Maybe a lot of them are naturally slim and just don't get fat no matter how much they eat. Maybe some of them do suffer a lot but the cause of other situations. You never know. We all have problems."
Alora hold Sarah's hands and said," I am not saying all of these to compare your insecurities with them to make you feel better. I am not. I am just trying to make you understand that everything you see on the screen isn't true. Never compare yourself with someone else. You are you."
Alora breathed out a deep breath and in a calm tone started again.
"I know that your insecurities won't leave you in seconds cause of my few positive words. I know that they are like shadows. Who only leaves us alone in the dark but the only difference is, that your insecurities snake around you like a poisonous snake at the worst points of your life. It's not easy but slowly but surely you should try to let go of your insecurities."
"For they won't let you love yourself wholeheartedly. They will always remind you of not being worth it or that. Don't let your insecurities control you," Maya said what Alora wanted to say.
"It's not easy. Every time, I look at someone prettier or richer than me, I can't help but compare myself with her. I try my best but something inside of me says, ' Why can't I be like her?'. It hunts me down every time," Sarah ended up breaking down.
"I can't help but feel worthless when someone mentions my weight or height or scars. I just can't," Sarah started crying.
Alora and Maya hugged her tightly. They couldn't imagine how big of a battle Sarah was fighting with herself every day.
The feeling of feeling worthless is the worst feeling ever.
"It's a normal human reaction but you shouldn't let others have this much power over your actions. You can't be controlled by their actions," Maya said.
"But how?"
"By caring about what others think about you, you are giving them the power to control you. You don't need others' opinions to feel better or prettier. You are naturally beautiful and you just need to feel it," Alora said wiping off Sarah's tears.
Maya hold Sarah's hands and traced her skin.
"Only day this skin of yours will be full of wrinkles. Everyone's will. One day everyone will eventually lose the beauty that they are chasing after. What will be left behind is their soul and beautiful heart. We are a lot more than our beautiful bodies. We all are powerful queens. We are beautiful. We are divine and worthy of the entire world."
"Let's work on purifying our souls instead of our temporary bodies," Alora said putting her hand in front of the other girls.
The others put their hands on hers.
"On a journey to purify our souls~" all of them shouted together.
"By the way, one girl from our class teased me the other day for not being proposed to by anyone in my entire life," Sarah deadpanned.
"Ok, so you are telling me that she's single from birth cause nobody ever proposed to her?"Alora dramatically said.
"Yes, " Maya made a fake sad face.
"Well, that makes sense cause no one will think that a pretty queen like her is still single. Everyone's gonna think that she's taken by the most handsome king as by her looks, she probably can't settle for less, " Alora replied looking at Sarah.
Sarah smiled and said," That makes sense. Guess, I am on two missions together. Mission two is hashtag self-love journey."
Alora and Maya laughed, nodded their head's and hugged again.
"By the way, at this happiness, why don't we go out to enjoy Korean food?"Maya said licking her lips as if imagining food in front of her.
"In this rain? We don't want you getting sick, Thank you."
"But I want to have Korean food now. No, the baby wants it. If I don't have Korean food now then the baby will be upset," Maya made a puppy face to lure Alora and Sarah into the guilty trap.
"I swear, sometimes you make me want to pull out all of your hair. It's raining outside and you want to go out now. It's also winter, did you forget it?" Sarah glared at Maya.
"Guys, don't fight. We have ramen in our kitchen and there's also leftover kimchi kept in the fridge. It's fresh and edible. As for drinks, we have apples and tangerines in our fridge. I will cook the ramen and make juices for us to enjoy. You guys wait here," Alora said getting up.
"We want to help you. Wait for us," Sarah and Maya shouted together.
In the middle of cooking, Maya said that she needs to use the washroom.
After two seconds, the electricity went away right after a thunderstruck.
They heard a scream which belongs to Maya.
They look at each other with horror covering their faces.
They quickly run where Maya was.