The world has seemingly become obsessed with Kylie Jenner’s lips. It even led to a very frightening trend of people trying to recreate her lips through suction, known as the Kylie lip challenge. Now the news comes out, and not that surprisingly, that she has had injections in order for her lips to look like that. For me, it is not her decision but rather as a whole what we are teaching this young generation of females about their insecurities that frightens me.

What ultimately makes this so sad is when Jenner said in an interview “it’s just an insecurity of mine.” That stopped me in my tracks. Not because I am surprised she has insecurities but because we continue to push girls and women to try and meet unrealistic standards. WE ALL HAVE INSECURITIES! Yet we never stop trying to convince the world we don’t have them or that they can fix them with some magical procedure. We try so hard to portray perfection that these girls aren’t even seeing imperfections anymore. They are not witnessing the beauty in those imperfections. Instead they feel constantly judged for them. They are given apps to fix everything that could possibly be “wrong” with them in society’s eyes. We have manipulated young girls to believe that instead of dealing with those insecurities, or loving who they are, they can push them aside and fix them. What we don’t tell them is that is not how the insecurity goes away. It does not solve the underlying issue. We don’t tell them not dealing with it will eventually eat away at their very being, until they barely recognize who they are unless they trying to cover everything up.

I am 29 and I still deal with insecurities but at 17 sometimes they can feel a lot worse. For someone like Kylie Jenner I imagine they are amplified with the spotlight. Let me say that insecurities never fully go away. They evolve and they change and you learn how to deal with them. If I can tell young girls, including Ms. Jenner, anything it is that those things you find so imperfect at this young age will one day empower you. I promise. They will be the things, when dealt with correctly, that will eventually define the best parts of you. How you dealt with the insecurities, how you moved beyond your judgment and other’s judgment, these will be the things that make you stronger. I know because I went through it.

When I was 16 I worked for an apparel company that pulled me aside one day and requested that I no longer wear shorts or skirts. I had scars on my knees from ACL and meniscus repairs and apparently they weren’t in line “with what the brand represented” (which of course I came to realize was fake perfection). I was devastated. For the next couple of years unless I was playing a sport or at home I would never wear anything that showed my scars. Luckily with age came clarity and the ability to better deal with my insecurity. What I came to realize is that they are scars of an athlete, who every time she was devastated by a season ending injury picked herself up and pushed herself beyond what she knew she was capable of. They remind me of things I sometimes forget about myself. When I feel like I can’t, I remember that I have and that I can. When I feel like I am at my limit that I can’t push anymore, I remember I am someone who never gave up, no matter what. Those scars now represent one of my best traits, an unwavering belief in my ability to do anything I put my mind to.

I want all of you out there today who are looking in the mirror and picking apart what you look like to bring your imperfections and insecurities to the forefront. Yes it is scary, but stop trying to hide them because I promise you they are what truly make you beautiful.

Rebekah Hibbert is a Certified Athletic Trainer who works on getting athletes ready for their sport and taking care of them after they are hurt.  She is passionate about women’s issues and sharing that passion through various social media outlets and is a part-time blogger trying to share my knowledge and experiences while connecting with others.