Don’t call a girl pretty.

“Pretty” is putting her on a shelf. It’s putting her in a box and closing the lid. That’s it. She’s done. It’s all she’ll ever be. It’s dismissing her. It’s telling her that’s all she’ll aspire to, something for others to look at, maybe even pity. It’s telling her she only matters until she’s no longer what you deem “pretty.”

Don’t call a girl pretty.

Call a girl beautiful.

“Beautiful” is telling her you could get lost in her without realizing it. It’s telling her the way her hair falls when she wears it like that makes it look like the finest silk in the world. It’s telling her the way her eyes crinkle at their edges when she smiles make you weak. It’s telling her you work very hard to make her laugh a real laugh, one where she throws her head back and lets herself go for a moment. It tells her that your heart swells when she gets passionate about something she cares deeply for. It tells her you can see the little girl in her when she gets excited about a surprise. It tells her the way that her lips move when she speaks is mesmerizing. It tells her that when she touches you, she sends pulses of electricity skittering across your skin and trickling down your spine.

“Beautiful” tells her she’s more than the cover girl of a magazine, cut, copied and pasted until unrecognizable. It tells her she’s a work of art you could spend forever observing. It tells her you notice something new and wonderful about her every time you look at her. It tells her you hold on to her words, keeping them as though they are gifts she has given you.

“Beautiful” is telling her you value her as a whole, good or bad. It tells her you think she can do whatever she puts her mind to. It’s telling her you’ll be there beside her when she needs someone. It also tells her you you’ll let her go if that’s what she wants.

“Beautiful” is telling her she’s more than just a pretty face.

Don’t call a girl pretty.

Call a girl beautiful.