Recently there has been a lot of talk, espically among young people, about the notion of being who you want to be and not letting society dictate who you are or what you should do. In addition, we have seen great success in the social aspects; I mean, gay marriage was legalized in the United States, body positive ads have been sweeping the nation (just look at the ads American Eagle, Aerie, and Dove have been putting out; they feature real, un-photo shopped women!), and even the take off in groups such as It's On Us to raise awareness of sexual assault on college campuses.

These are all big steps in the right direction toward a better future! This is coming from a girl who wrote her college admissions essay about her hairy legs and how she wouldn’t let society dictate what she did with her body. However, I don’t think I’m biased in saying that the developments we have made as a generation are outstanding. We are powerful in making change. With the use of social media and global interaction at our fingertips, we are a generation of young people who are more capable of making change than ever. But even with all this change, we are still plagued with one restriction that will be impossible to break, and that is the hold of the almighty dollar.

For no matter how many Tweets a young, insecure girl will see on Twitter about believing in one's own beauty, it can never compare to the multi-million dollar make-up ad that she sees on TV that tells her she’s not beautiful unless she has their mascara or foundation. Or for the guy who doesn't have a six pack and V-lines, all it takes is one mean comment to make him go buy that pre-workout formula with the super airbrushed supermodel on the front.

Companies like this (meaning the beauty, health, and fashion industries) try to continue perpetuating the bulls**t messages they have for years, because if the modern points of view take over they are out of business, or at least worth a whole lot less. The same principle can be used to answer the question of why we don’t see as many awareness ads for things like It's On Us or Above the Influence compared to ones for Cover Girl or Victoria's Secret. And, unfortunately, the answer is simple: nonprofit organizations simply can’t afford to buy as much air-time as these other companies that probably have more money than they know what to do with. Money plays a key role in so many aspects of life, from where you live, how much you own, even down to the life experiences you can afford to have.

While at this stage in life (as least speaking personally) there’s not much one can do to address these large scale life-altering issues, but when it comes to social issues, this generation is being heard. And if there’s one thing we can impact in a big way right away it’s how we view ourselves and each other. Believe those Tweets and pictures that tell you that you're fabulous just the way you are. Because even though you may not feel it through your screen, know it’s coming from someone who believes it and knows how you feel because they overcame the same feelings that you're going through once upon a time and know life is so much better without them.

Don’t give the people with the money the power to make you feel like you're not enough. As the prime example of loving all beauty, inside and out, that you have to offer the world, Eleonore Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”.