If Tabloids Could Talk, by Hannah Faber

Standing,

waiting in line at the grocery store,
pulling out my phone to check the time,
and rolling my eyes as the cashier struggles to scan a box of Cheerios,
a typical occurrence.

My eyes begin skimming the gum and candy sitting in neat rows lining the aisle,

when suddenly the headlines reach out,
grabbing hold of me.

Something deep inside the well of my brain whispers

Trashy magazines, don’t listen to them
But the screaming headlines’ cackling laughter drowns out the small whisper of common sense.

And the auctioneer begins.

He takes a brief moment to clear his throat
and starts rattling off his poison to his captive audience:

Washboard abs in 20 days!
Take this magic purple pill and lose 10 pounds!

Get that bikini bod ready- there’s only 6 months ‘til summer!

Size double zero is in style this year,

along with perfectly toned limbs,
a flawlessly straight smile as white as a shiny new MacBook Pro,
and a face reminiscent of that porcelain doll you got from Grandma at your sixth birthday party.

Look at you,

You’re not good enough
You aren’t good enough
You are not good enough.

And you’ll never be.