As a teenager burdened with the whirlwind of hormones, and as a human being, I meet insecurity more than I would prefer. And over the years, though I know I can't completely eradicate insecurity from my life, I've found a way to make it all a little easier: comedy.
In middle school, I hated looking in the mirror. I would avoid allowing my eyes to gaze upon my facial features in fear that already prevalent insecurity would skyrocket. Looking back, my irrational fear of the mirror makes me sad. Why would my own face make me that unhappy? Was I really that ashamed of myself?
I avoided the mirror. I also avoided discussing my flaws. My pimples? My greasy hair? My pimple scars? I would never mention them. If they were mentioned, I would desperately attempt to revert the conversation elsewhere, in fear of insecurity exasperating. Better to be ignorant, than aware, was my motto at the time.
But now, it's different. I got tired of avoiding, of running and running from this fear that was honestly, more internal than external. It was just my face. It still is just my face. There's nothing particularly spectacular about it, nothing worth hating myself over.
I learned that avoidance is not the answer. I learned that holding onto poorly thought-out sayings like "everyone's perfect" isn't the answer either. To truly be comfortable with what you consider to be a flaw, you have to make it your own. You have to own it.
Make jokes about everything you're insecure about. Stop treating your insecurities like dirty words worthy of diminishing your self-esteem. Minimize them.
Joke about how you hate looking in the mirror. Joke about your pimples. Joke about your hair. Make your insecurities material for comedy, not material for insecurity.
Even if your jokes are abysmal, who cares? You've still made it your own. You've still taken control of how you're perceived.
What can I say; I eventually learned to "shake it off." (I apologize for the Taylor Swift reference, but hey, the woman gets it).