Verse 1:

There are times when I wonder if iIm alive

Deep down I know there's more than what meets the eye

All I ever would see

Was who they want me to be

That’s just all I ever wanna achieve

But now I’m runnin’ astray

And i'm ready to say

All the words that I’ve been hiding away

Chorus:

Now it’s time to be real and true to who I see

They can never tell me who I can and cannot be

It don’t matter what’s the color of my blood and skin

I’m gonna love to love myself through the thick and thin

Stop thinking ‘bout the movies and the magazines

And fightin’ to be pretty all the time behind the scenes

I don’t wanna hide in shadows where I can’t be seen

Finally see the truth in beauty that's not make belief

Verse 2:

I’m proud of who i am and where I’ve been

It’s time to break the mold, I’m never givin’ in 

All the words that they say

Can never take me away

Everything I believe that I am

Proud of what’s in the mirror

Cuz i’m seein’ it clearer

There’s no one that I rather be

Bridge:

I will try to find the light

Cuz I know I will be alright  

This song, Who I See, or Beauty, is an extension of my second anthology titled Self-Care and The Hidden Visuals: An Anthology on How To Love Oneself. The piece was written during a vulnerable state of mind, following a low period in my life.

As a young woman growing up in a media and social media dominant world, I often find myself subconsciously comparing myself to the people who are airbrushed in photos on different media platforms. Generations of women have been brainwashed into thinking a particular standard of beauty must be achieved, whether their bodies can or cannot.  

As a woman, I often feel like I am being judged by my looks rather than my ability and skill. Despite growing up in Los Angeles, where various races and ethnicities are prevalent, I still feel conscious that I might be the only person in the room with yellow skin and small eyes. When I look online at first glance, it is hard to find an empowered woman that looks like me.

When I was small, I had Barbies and pretty dolls that did not share my skin color. The majority of them were white, and this issue is still prevalent today. When you watch television, there is a lack of Asian representation. When you go on YouTube, you need to try really hard to find a makeup tutorial for someone Asian.

Issues as such exist everywhere, and I wanted to use the line "it don't matter what's the color of my blood and skin" to show that despite living in a world where beauty is predominantly viewed as a white girl with blond hair and blue eyes, that it does not matter the color of a person's skin to determine if they are beautiful or not because the blood that runs through everyone's veins is the same, red. I want to convey to other women and even men that beauty is how you see yourself, not how others see you. If you don't feel happy about how you look, no matter how many compliments others give you, you won't ever truly see it or be happy about yourself. Just like in the lyrics, "All the words that they say, Can never take me away, Everything I believe that I am," even if others comment on me, if I know myself worth, then no one can take that away. 

Also, I wanted to tell myself and others that beauty is always more than what meets the eye. Trying to fit the mold when we need to break it, how does a world of people fit into one mold? This song is filled with vulnerability and some dark moments, but most importantly, it conveys hope and change to those who feel invisible in today's society.