ariah henderson portland, or
Artist Bio:
Brilliantsexy literate slut enjoys blueberry goat milk yogurt & seasonal produce. IG @roseariah
why i’m obsessed with myself (and why you should be too)
I am conceited. My eyes gravitate towards any reflective surface I pass, and I am instantly awestruck by my sheer beauty; full lips, bad posture, frizz in my curls, dirty glasses, and all. There are two topless drawings of myself above my bed, which is comfortably nestled between two large mirrors. My friends will all unanimously agree that I am obsessed with myself; but so are they! What’s not to love?
I choose to publicly and proudly acknowledge my vanity because as a woman, and any other marginalized or objectified body, my worth is contingent upon my subscription to arbitrary Eurocentric beauty standards and markers of success. This looks like skinny, white, privately educated, cis-gendered, straight, able-bodied, rich with capital, and everything else that’s been shoved down our throats through the various media outlets we engage with and more insidiously through our education system and internalized oppressive behavior from our parents.
Through my vanity, I actively reject the demand to be contorted into a body that I am not, so that I, too, can be seen, valued, and loved fully. When we seek validation outside of ourselves, we limit our love, affection, and adoration to what others are willing to give or perceive us as worthy of receiving. When we fall in love with ourselves, we are limitless. We have the capacity to love ourselves more than anyone else can. We are the only people who have seen the most holistic image of ourselves, everyone else only has a piece of the puzzle, and can at maximum capacity only love the piece they know. It is for this reason that it is imperative to practice radical acts of self love.
And while some days my self-obsession manifests as admittedly obnoxious Instagram captions about everyone having a crush on me (which is true), it also looks like taking care of myself and making myself feel good. I find spiritual healing in the mundanity of self-care: making my bed in the morning, cooking breakfast, cleaning my room, washing my hair, calling my mom, knowing when to hang up the call with my mom (but still calling her again the next morning), remembering to look out the window on the bus. All of these acts are opportunities for me (for you) to fall in love with both yourself and what it means to maintain yourself.
As difficult as it is for my intense main character syndrome mind to admit, I’m not special. I encourage everyone to engage with their conceited side. Loving yourself does not take away from your ability to love anyone else. What is beautiful, sexy, attractive, lovely, tasty, and brilliant is subjective! So why not make yourself your own gold standard?
Brilliantsexy literate slut enjoys blueberry goat milk yogurt & seasonal produce. IG @roseariah
why i’m obsessed with myself (and why you should be too)
I am conceited. My eyes gravitate towards any reflective surface I pass, and I am instantly awestruck by my sheer beauty; full lips, bad posture, frizz in my curls, dirty glasses, and all. There are two topless drawings of myself above my bed, which is comfortably nestled between two large mirrors. My friends will all unanimously agree that I am obsessed with myself; but so are they! What’s not to love?
I choose to publicly and proudly acknowledge my vanity because as a woman, and any other marginalized or objectified body, my worth is contingent upon my subscription to arbitrary Eurocentric beauty standards and markers of success. This looks like skinny, white, privately educated, cis-gendered, straight, able-bodied, rich with capital, and everything else that’s been shoved down our throats through the various media outlets we engage with and more insidiously through our education system and internalized oppressive behavior from our parents.
Through my vanity, I actively reject the demand to be contorted into a body that I am not, so that I, too, can be seen, valued, and loved fully. When we seek validation outside of ourselves, we limit our love, affection, and adoration to what others are willing to give or perceive us as worthy of receiving. When we fall in love with ourselves, we are limitless. We have the capacity to love ourselves more than anyone else can. We are the only people who have seen the most holistic image of ourselves, everyone else only has a piece of the puzzle, and can at maximum capacity only love the piece they know. It is for this reason that it is imperative to practice radical acts of self love.
And while some days my self-obsession manifests as admittedly obnoxious Instagram captions about everyone having a crush on me (which is true), it also looks like taking care of myself and making myself feel good. I find spiritual healing in the mundanity of self-care: making my bed in the morning, cooking breakfast, cleaning my room, washing my hair, calling my mom, knowing when to hang up the call with my mom (but still calling her again the next morning), remembering to look out the window on the bus. All of these acts are opportunities for me (for you) to fall in love with both yourself and what it means to maintain yourself.
As difficult as it is for my intense main character syndrome mind to admit, I’m not special. I encourage everyone to engage with their conceited side. Loving yourself does not take away from your ability to love anyone else. What is beautiful, sexy, attractive, lovely, tasty, and brilliant is subjective! So why not make yourself your own gold standard?