Released: 2015
“Scars To Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara hits deep, focusing on the pressures society places on people, especially women, to meet certain beauty standards. It’s a powerful call to embrace our true selves, scars and all. The song dissects the notion that beauty is skin deep and challenges the world to change its heart instead of people having to change themselves to be considered beautiful.
The protagonist of the song is a girl who strives to be recognized as beautiful. She feels invisible, believes there are no limits to what she can do to achieve this beauty, including harming herself. The lines “She craves attention, she praises an image, She prays to be sculpted by the sculptor” speak to how society’s unrealistic standards have led her to pray for change to her body, to fit into this mold. Yet, the song immediately counters this with a reminder that her light shines from within, suggesting that inner beauty is what truly matters.
In the refrain, Cara brings a message of hope and self-acceptance, telling listeners “You should know you’re beautiful just the way you are” and that they don’t need to change. The phrase “No scars to your beautiful, we’re stars and we’re beautiful” reiterates that our scars, metaphorical or physical, make us who we are. They’re not flaws but beauty marks, stories of survival and reasons to believe we’re unique.
The song also touches on the dangerous extents to which people go to fulfill beauty ideals, like starvation, reflecting on the harsh reality of eating disorders. Cara condemns this self-destructive path with “Beauty is pain and there’s beauty in everything. What’s a little bit of hunger?” exposing the dark side of striving for societal acceptance. She reassures listeners about their worth and beauty beyond physical appearance, urging them to find the light within themselves.
Finally, “Scars to Your Beautiful” culminates in a celebration of individuality and self-love. The lines “No better you than the you that you are” and “No better time for your shine, you’re a star” encourage embracing oneself as is, highlighting the importance of living our best life now, not after we’ve changed to fit beauty norms. It’s a call to action for both individuals and society to appreciate the unique beauty in everyone.
In conclusion, Alessia Cara’s “Scars To Your Beautiful” is more than a pop song. It’s a lifeline thrown to anyone drowning in the sea of societal expectations, reminding us of our inherent worth and beauty. Through its poignant lyrics, it challenges us to rethink our views on beauty, embrace our scars, and change the world by accepting everyone as beautiful, just the way they are.
