You Should Set the Rule Book on Fire

Girls need to be shorter than the guys they're with.

A real man can grow a beard.

You have to be delicate to be feminine.

Girls should be petite but curvy.
The bigger the muscles, the cuter the guy.

Whether we deliberately say these things, hint at or joke about them, or carry them in our subconscious,

Everyone has a Rule Book that tells you how you and those around you should look and act.

Now, I'm not one to condone arson, but for goodness' sake,

SET THAT STUFF ON FIRE.

Have you ever stopped to consider the logic behind what we as a society deem the ideal man or woman?

If you can explain to me how washboard abs make you a better father,

or how bigger breasts allow you to be more kind to others,

or how a tiny waist gives you a greater thirst for knowledge,

go ahead and try.

But I'm pretty sure you're gonna come up empty-handed.

There is not a wrong way to have a body.

There is not an ideal way to be.

There is not a standard of appearance you have to meet.

I love these!

This same principle applies to every other rule in that Rule Book that is hopefully charring in your fireplace by now.

The rules are all in your head.

They don't actually exist.

"Attractive" is not one thing.

Everyone is attractive and beautiful just how they are.

I'm not saying that everyone is magically going to be able to look at everyone perfectly equally, without any regard to appearance. 

I catch myself making instant judgments or stopping myself from something because of "the rules," and I'm sure you will too.

But the point is to take a step back and remind yourself that the rules are all in your head.

With practice, hopefully they won't even be there anymore.

So dear Rule Book,