We are only human. We have our flaws. One flaw I hate about people is our view of acceptance in society. Time and time again I find others, including myself, working for the acceptance of others instead of letting it come to us. It is scary how consumed people can become into changing themselves, when there is no need to change at all. Because there is no right way to look, act, dress, or just be. It is a made up social construct in our heads placed by the conformity and social norms in society.
I feel like the pressure of society is hitting generations younger and younger. These younger generations are dressing, talking, and acting differently because of what surrounds them. I remember back in middle school when no one really cared about fashion. But nowadays, it seems as though middle schoolers are dressing a lot more scandalous. We don't need to conform. But sometimes we do in fear of being different. What I don't understand is why don't we celebrate these differences instead of shunning them. Obviously, each new person brought into the world is different from the rest in one way or a million. It is the nature of creation. We are not all born with the same ideas and interests.
My argument is that acceptance should come naturally. We shouldn't have to work for it. But some of us are scared that we will never be accepted so we work harder in order to ensure acceptance by others even if it's not the kind of acceptance we want. What a scary thought it is that some of us are afraid of being our true selves in spite of what others might think. Whether we believe it or not, there are always people we can connect to.
When we find those people, numbers shouldn't matter. It shouldn't matter whether 10 or 100 people think highly of you. The important thing is that you let acceptance come to you. You are worthy and deserve to have people fall in love with the real you. When we bring numbers into it, we start to value our worth that way. This can be seen a lot through social media. How many likes am I getting? How many views? Retweets? Compared to her/him? Stop. This makes social media use toxic. People forget the purpose of social media way too often. Never compare yourself to another person because again- we are all born different. None of us are exactly the same. So why should you compare your own unique self to another? In fact, if you look closely, the people on social media who aren't trying to be anyone or anything are actually happier. They might not have a bunch of likes, but they are living life right. Be humble. Be grounded. Never feel like you have to change anything about yourself.
I'll admit it happens to me too. For some time, I was quite the perfectionist on social media apps, for example, Instagram. I wanted every single picture I post to be of utmost quality. It had to be pleasing to the eye. I'd beat myself down for every time I got a lower amount of likes. What's wrong with me? What's wrong with the picture? Why didn't more people like it? Thinking back on it, those kinds of thoughts sound crazy. It made me start doubting myself. I took a look at my Instagram profile and realized all these pictures I posted in hopes of other people liking them. Social media is never about the likes. It never was. So, I started being more real. I started posting pictures that meant a lot to me and represented the real me. I wasn't trying to make it out like I had a perfect life anymore. Pictures I started to post weren't all nice and clean. But they held meaning and memories to me. I noticed that these pictures that were more "real" were getting significantly less likes. They were getting about half the amount of likes I would usually get. And I thought to myself, "I'm okay with that." I want to be me. I don't want to pretend I'm someone I'm not. If people genuinely like the picture then so be it. If not? So be it.
As individuals, we must continue to be true to ourselves in the choices we make and in the way we live. We must admit to our own flaws, accept them, and grow. Know your worth and know that it is enough. Be real. Be authentic. Be genuine.
