Matryoshka Doll - Poem

The poem written by Ellena Li, inspired by the Russian Matryoshka doll, is about the physical expectations women are pressured to live up to. From our sizes to looking aesthetically pleasant all the time - we're so much more than our outer appearances. We are beautiful, complex, people with so many layers.

Matryoshka Doll

Matryoshka doll, are you sure one-size-fits-all? 

Stubborn, so little, like solving a riddle

How many versions of yourself do you try to hide,

Layered in whispers, stacked deep inside?

My complexities fit in your body, a pulse the world boxes

Asymmetrically symmetrical, our painted faces start to fall

You seem complete with your secrets inside

A Matryoshka doll-

But do your pieces truly align,

Or only fit like strangers on a train

Always carried, always contained

But what if, one day,

We chose to stay?

Here's the link to this poem in a version of a song (written by Ellena): https://youtu.be/dgbyLmtmMaI