what i said about orange county

(note: i have wanted to get out of california all my life. it is my homestate, but has never been my home. i don't hate orange county itself, but i do hate it for the air that it has developed of "you're not good enough." i am good enough.)

I grew up in Orange County, California. I am a Southern California girl, born and bred. It’s all I’ve ever known.
That being said, it’s never been what I love.
Orange County is a bubble, a bubble of clothes and blonde hair and appearances. It’s incredibly overwhelming, especially when you’re brunette and you wear glasses and were never one of the skinnier girls in class. You feel judged, honestly, like the great big Barbie doll in the sky is inspecting you and she is not pleased. I never really grew into my own skin until junior year, and that was only through intense self-supplied therapy, friends’ glowing compliments, and a rigorous diet and exercise plan.
But being an Orange County girl has taught me more about life and people than I ever would have learned somewhere else. I learned that beauty is only, in fact, skin deep. Money doesn’t buy happiness, or youth, or love, and if you’re smart you will get out there and experience those while you can. The most beautiful and rich people are usually the most empty. I learned to never judge a book by its cover, because that book can rip it off and show its true colors faster than you can “OC”.
I live every day to the fullest, because I know now that you have to. This area is so full of women working harder to look younger and younger every day because they threw their teenage years away, and there’s no getting that back. Those years are gone forever, and I’m sorry honey, all the plastic surgery in the world isn’t going to make you look the same as your daughter. I’ve realized that being comfortable with yourself having flaws is a thousand times better than trying to achieve perfection and I am not perfect. And I am okay with that.
Living in Southern California is kind of like living in an alternate reality. It’s only when you step outside that you realize there is a whole world out there, and they honestly don’t care what you’re wearing.