What is Perfect?

          What does it mean to be perfect? Someone who is seen as perfect is usually extremely good looking, confident, popular, smart, talented, and rich. However, being seen as perfect doesn't mean you really are. Ashley Barnum from the book "Perfect" by Natasha Friend is a good example. She's  really popular, gorgeous, and in advanced classes. However, she is alone a lot at home, her parents argue, and the most shocking of all... she has an eating disorder.
         The main character of "Perfect" is not Ashley, though. It's a girl named Isabelle Lee, whose family is still recovering from the death of her father. This traumatic event has caused Isabelle to have an eating disorder called bulimia, where someone eats a ton and then forces themself to throw it all up. Isabelle's little sister finds her throwing up, and is then sent to a support group for it. She is very surprised to learn that Ashley is a member of the group, because she has wanted to be like Ashley since elementary school. But as Ashley and Isabelle become close, Isabelle realizes that Ashley is actually very flawed.
        I think that Ashley represents everyone that is seen as perfect, because in reality, no one is. This book opened my eyes to exactly how much people pretend that they're flawless, when they really have tons of flaws. Let's face it, everyone knows someone that they think is perfect. But I've realized that being perfect is just about how you carry yourself, and sometimes it's the people that seem the happiest that are the saddest inside. Both Isabelle and Ashley "put on a happy face" and try to convince everyone that they're okay when it isn't. It's really sad that in our society today, people are scared to talk about their real feelings. I feel like our whole world is trying to be perfect. But being flawed is a good thing, it shows that you're human. Our society should stop pressuring people to act a certain way, because that's part of the reason that so many people are so self conscious. People should know that it's okay not to be perfect.