Content Warning – The contents of this article discuss depression, anxiety, and suicide.
Scars to Your Beautiful
But there’s a hope that’s waiting for you in the dark
You should know you’re beautiful just the way you are…
She don’t see her perfect
She don’t understand she’s worth it
Or that beauty goes deeper than the surface
So to all the girls that’s hurting
Let me be your mirror
Help you see a little bit clearer
The light that shines within
And you don’t have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful
We’re stars and we’re beautiful
As Cheslie Kryst’s tragic death became known, I thought immediately about the lyrics to “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara.
There is no perfect. It is an elusive concept that many women unsuccessfully struggle to attain. Compound the quest for “perfect” with cyberbullying, anxiety, scrutiny of the 24-hour news cycle, aging, shame and guilt of letting others down…
Maybe we have made her blind
So she tries to cover up her pain
And cut her woes away
‘Cause covergirls don’t cry
After their face is made
With overachieving perfection-seekers, there is a common thread of feeling hopeless and alone because “Covergirls don’t cry, after their face is made.” We are taught, “Push through it”, “Don’t let them ever see you sweat”, “Keep your head down” and “Just work harder”. The result can grind a human soul and destroy joy, vision and eventually hope. Once that happens for the overachiever, shame and isolation often follow.
And for those who successfully attain a benchmark or goal, the anxiety of sustaining or even surpassing that milestone can also be overwhelming. Finally, perfect people are often great actors. So, identifying the warning signs of a person contemplating suicide is difficult, if not impossible. This ostensibly was the case with Cheslie Kryst’s tragic death.
“To combat feelings of hopelessness and isolation, understanding that many great women have shared those same feelings and conquered them; and that you are not alone.” In some small way, that is why ELYSIAN exists, to inspire and connect women through anecdotal stories of overcoming, persevering and achieving. ELYSIAN hopes to lessen quiet suffering, by acknowledging shared feelings of many. There is hope even in the darkness of Cheslie’s death.
We dedicate this newsletter to the “cover girl” inside every woman.