In today's world, people are constantly being told to change and conform to the things society believes to be best suited for them. They say to change your body type, change your hair, and even change your eye color. In today's world, no one is truly accepted for who they are, because there is always something to change.

Being a woman in today's society is hard enough, but when I was a young girl growing up, I struggled with my appearance. Everyone who was considered "beautiful" had long, lush hair, a thin waist, a narrow face with natural beauty, and tan skin. This made me feel insecure because I was petite, had short hair, an oval face, and pale skin, and I felt like I had to wear makeup because I didn't find myself to be as pretty as the girls on the magazines. As I grew older, I still had my insecurities. My nose had a weird bump in it, I had odd curves that didn't fit my long torso, and the school dress code made me not like myself even more because of the awkward length of clothing.

When I got to my senior year of high school, I was finally at the point where I accepted that this was me. This awkward girl is who I am; however, society was still telling me I wasn't good enough, but I didn't care. It upsets me that it took me that long to accept who I was, but I realized that all the influences around me caused me to constantly want to change myself.

And now that I'm in college, I don't just accept myself, I accept the qualities of everyone. No one wants to be judged for how they look, so why do we judge them? Whether you're a size zero or a size 12, you're still absolutely beautiful. Wear what makes you comfortable, be around those who accept you for who you are, and never let anyone bring you down for how you look. Because you are unique. Out of all the traits and qualities you could have obtained, you obtained the ones in which you showcase everyday, and that's a pretty unique thing. I know I'm lucky to have people in my life who accept me, and that's what I believe every young girl should have as well. Have friends who accept you and don't try to change you, because those friends are hard to come by later on in life.