The Ever-Unachievable “Glow-Up”
September 2, 2024
Writer: Anonymous
Editors: Allie Timmerman and Gretchen Quill
We all know the term “glow up.” According to the Urban Dictionary, a glow-up is a mental, physical, and emotional transformation for the better. It can be natural or planned, gradual and permanent, or fast and temporary. For me, however, the term "glow-up" has always carried a certain weight.
For the past five summers, like clockwork, the minute school let out, I would self-declare: “this will be the summer I glow up.” The moment "glow-up" entered my vocabulary, it felt like a challenge—a silent competition I never signed up for but couldn’t ignore. I would map out new workout routines, obsess over diet plans, and countdown the days, believing I needed to return to school as a new, better version of myself. But every August, as summer faded, so too did my hope. The holistic transformation I chased never materialized, leaving me disappointed and disheartened.
In my mind, a glow-up was purely external: changes to my hair, body, skin, or wardrobe. The pressure to glow up made me hyper-aware of flaws I had previously been content with, flaws that now felt glaring and insurmountable. I’d scrutinize myself in the mirror, questioning why I still looked the same, why I hadn’t transformed into the person I thought I needed to be. The self-doubt was quiet but persistent, eroding my confidence and convincing me that without a dramatic change, I wasn’t enough.
This past summer, I approached things the same way, determined to overhaul myself in three months. But as life sped up, routines shifted, and I found myself busier than ever, I realized there was no time for an all-consuming transformation. So, I let go. I gave up the idea of becoming a “hotter” version of myself by the fall, because I realized the change I was looking for was simply impossible. I instead began to enjoy each day as it came and tried to accept me for me.
It struck me then—the problem wasn’t that I hadn’t changed; it was that I felt like I needed to. The idea of a "glow up" suggested that who I was wasn’t good enough, that to be worthy of my own acceptance, I needed to become someone else. Year after year, I fell into a vicious cycle that convinced me I wasn’t enough. But the truth is, I never needed to change. The change I sought happened naturally, without my forcing it, year after year.
Now, I’m learning that personal growth isn’t about fitting an idealized version of myself that others expect. It’s about recognizing my worth in the present, embracing who I am now, and allowing myself to evolve naturally. I see now that I never needed a "glow-up" because I’ve always been enough just as I am. People change, bodies change, styles change—none of which we can fully control. What we can control are the small things we do every day to fulfill ourselves and uplift those around us, rather than chasing an unrealistic standard that we may never reach.
