As I sit here and listen to Pink on my Google Mini, I think about the impact that she’s had on me in particular as a woman and as a writer. In particular, I like the line in the speech that she wrote to her daughter about transforming the sand into pearls.
Society has a certain idea and image of what a woman should look like. I know I sure as hell don’t fit the mold, but if everybody fitted the mold the world would be so incredibly boring and mundane.
Pink’s daughter said what many girls and women think on a daily basis, when she said “Mama, I’m the ugliest girl I know. I look like a boy with long hair.” I wanted to do what Pink was thinking in response and run the person who told her that she wasn’t beautiful over with my wheelchair. Of course, that would get me into trouble. The problem is international. We, as women, will never have the perfect body or perfect image of ourselves. We just have to accept who we are and love ourselves before we can love anyone else.
Pink defies convention with her short hair and menswear clothing. She’s doesn’t give a hoot about what other people think, which I think is a very strong and powerful message that all women need to hear on a daily basis. If you don’t believe me, just look at the lyrics of the song Perfect. When she says “They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair. Exchange ourselves and we do it all the time.” We change our appearance just to make other people feel comfortable with who we are, especially guys. Guys like longer hair and longer legs and a more feminine appearance. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy it when guys notice me even if it’s just to look at my power chair.
I also have many role models in my life besides Pink; number one being my mom and my two beautiful sisters. I have too many role models to count! If I listed them all, I’d be here all day and all night. The lyrics to The Greatest Showman’s song A Million Dreams say it best. “I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see.” I have an inkling that this line about the vision of the world I see is the message that Pink wanted to get across to her daugther. Nobody is perfect, but when we see our reflection in the mirror we are perfect in our own way.