Beyond the Bra: Breaking the Mold

Under garments displayed on runways and pages
Models strutting in lingerie, smiling at stages
What is the open secret we all now share?
That perfection of form is laid bare
Riches built on feminine grace
An empire of lace, ribbon and face

Supple skin and svelte silhouette  
Airbrushed till no flaws left to set
Movies and ads fill young minds
Unattainable beauty that entwinds
We raced towards this carved ideal
Trying to be something we never can feel

Hourglass held as highest praise
Forget those curves, they're just a phase
Normal is textwrap that must be shed
To squeeze into ideals in our head
And when you fail to measure right  
Comes shame, a needle that bites

Lingerie cast in angel's pose
Masking the struggle that no one shows
To contort oneself to fit the mold
At what cost, just to be told-
"You're beautiful now, little girl"
By men who rule the whole world

Bombarded since birth with phoniness  
That my worth is my gorgeousness
Every mirror became an enemy
Reflecting how I could never be
The woman on screen, selling bras
Her perfection the highest cause

My body a commodity to sell
But not my own, under their spell
I dieted, I strained, I hid    
All to fulfill what they said I should
And when exhausted, I'd wonder why
My femaleness made me want to cry

But a secret hides behind the veil
That inner beauty will always prevail
External looks don't matter at all
When we're brave enough to stand tall  
And cast off others' expectations
Of how a woman "should" be shaped

Sell lacy underthings, I don't care
But don't tell me what beauty is there
Don't warp young minds with your lies
That their value's between their thighs
Real beauty needs no airbrush
It springs from within, without blemish

A cage was built with silk and lace
Gilded with gems, an elaborate case
But women broke free, took up the fight
Shedding bras that squeezed too tight
Now we define our own beauty  
Not by your toxic scrutiny

But change comes slow, the mind holds on
To old constraints that have long gone
So when I stare at the mirror in doubt
A small voice whispers- shut them out
External beauty cannot define you
When inner light is all they'll see

We are more than an undergarment
More than a body for men to flaunt
We are more than a sweeps of hair
More than a curve that's deemed fair
We are minds, we are souls
We are more than they've been told

So let models pose in their lace and silk  
But girls, set your standards of beauty
Let no one decide what you ought to be
When you already hold the key
True beauty springs from within
No matter what the ads spin

The empire built on feminine doubt
Kept women small and leaving them out
But a new world is taking shape
Where worth isn't measured by tape
And though past constraints still remain
Our true power will bloom again

They sold lace dreams to make you forget
That freedom and truth lay inside you yet
But stars always shine brightest at night
Your inner light is ready to ignite
To lead forth others who want to see
What incredible things they can be

A sisterhood rising, no more shame
We heal ourselves and each other reclaim
We lift up, we hold each other tall  
And rewrite rules that make us all small
We own now our bodies, minds and soul
By our truth, the world we'll remake whole

So let Victoria keep her Secret  
Her time is done, her rule to forfeit
While we turn our eyes inward now
To find the truths of who we are and how
To nurture our spirits and set them free
This is the real beauty, can't you see?

What is beauty? Still hard to say
But begins with self-love, and the will to stay  
True to yourself, whomever you are
Inside, you hold depths still left to explore
And when you connect with your inner light
You'll see yourself as you are - beautiful, bright

We've been trapped too long in expectations
Of who we should be to gain validation  
But no more! The time has come  
To write our own stories, and they have begun!
Of women who rose above and fought back
Claiming their bodies and minds - not looking back

The empire sold lies, told us we lacked
Said we must improve to fulfill our role
But the beauty we seek cannot be bought or sold
It springs from our spirits, when we're finally bold
To cut loose constraints and narrow spans
And realize just how incredible a woman can be

So let Victoria keep her Secret  
The truth is out now, no point to forfeit
Turn inward, connect with your own light
Discover your worth and beauty bright  
No more dimming yourself to fit their mold
Your truth and power were already sown

We will rise hand in hand together    
Teaching our daughters they're so much more
Than a body shaped to a molded ideal  
Tell them they're made of starlight and steel
They're warriors, creators, leaders and dreamers
Their potential within each brighter than gleams

And as we rewrite how a woman "should" be
They will grow up happier, freer to see  
That who they are is already sublime
No altering needed, no standards to climb
They're made like the moon, ever-changing
But always reflecting their own inner shining

Let Victoria keep selling false dreams  
She holds no more power, it seems
We hold the key to our inner domains
To nurture our spirits, till our light reigns
We heal and hold each other close
As we learn to fully know, and then become

Who we truly are, not who they demand  
Shedding old norms like an ill-fitting band  
Until we unveil the truth hiding inside  
Just waiting for us to no longer hide  
But step forth proudly, souls ablaze  
Loving ourselves, endless in our own ways

My sisters, there is so much more to be  
Than they ever told us we could see
Inside each of us such treasures lie
Waiting for us to give them time to shine  
Creations and dreams, voices to share
Filled with such beauty if we just dare

To unleash ourselves, cast off their lies  
Limiting beliefs now we can defy  
And rewrite the rules they made us follow  
No more dimming our light, hiding our talents
We now take up our gifts without shame or sorrow
And let our own lights blaze bright tomorrow

Who told women we must look or be
A certain way to have validity?  
For too long we believed them and cried
Thinking ourselves too ugly, flawed or unwise
But no more! We take back our bodies and minds
And let soul-deep beauty now shine

So Victoria, keep your secret  
No more will we listen or forfeit  
Our own truths to fit your toxic mold  
We celebrate all women, not just those you sold
For we are all exquisite in our own way  
Our beauty not defined by bra size or weigh

Dear sisters, what they never wanted you to know  
Is the goddess in you begins to glow  
When you stop seeking worth outside yourself   
And realize you are enough, just as you are  
You don't have to change or hide or shift  
Your power emerges when you can stand tall, unapologetic, celebrating yourself

For too long they measured our worth  
By our ability to be shaped and lurched
Into smaller versions of who we could be
But no more I say, my sisters, we are free!
Free to love ourselves as we are
Free to dream and stretch out as far

As our inner light leads, no more doubt
No more shrinking so they feel less threatened
By the incredible power we each hold inside
Now awakening, stirring, opening wide  
No longer accepting belittling depictions
We take back our stories, rewrite the constrictions

And lead forth boldly, souls blazing in light  
Loving ourselves unconditionally, shining bright
We heal generational wounds passed down  
Freeing our daughters from body dissatisfaction

Teaching them they're perfect as they are
Teaching them to nourish their spirits, not starve  
Teaching them true beauty, that radiant glow
Emerges from within, everywhere it can flow
When we cast off doubt, reclaim this light   
And boldly stride forth, guides for each other

No more believing the false masks they wore
Claiming perfection that no woman can ever achieve
Now we see through the illusion they spun
Knowing real beauty comes from within each one
Seeing now with soul-sight, beyond skin deep  
We hold hands as we walk forth, blossoming fully

Beloved sisters, my heart swells for I see now  
The incredible, luminous beings you each are
Beyond any words, though I try to capture
Your inner magnificence, seeking to unwrap more
Of your highest truth - that you are enough  
As you are, without changing to suit others
Your essence is beauty, your heart song sublime
I celebrate you, sisters, your spirits bare and sublime















   The poem is part of a full version found in the book “Homo Sapiens” Part Part I - XVIII, written by Mawphniang Napoleon. This book is part of the popular “Homo Sapiens” book series, which can be purchased online at various online bookstores, such as Amazon. The book is available for purchase for those who are interested in reading the complete version of the poem. Remember to get all the books from the “Homo Sapiens” series, as well as other books by the same author.   So, don’t hesitate and get a copy today from one of the many online bookstores.   Khublei Shihajar Nguh,  (Dhanewad  )(Thank you )