We all have them. Those photos from years ago that are just too precious to give up. Photos containing our awkward phase. The time in our lives, usually around age 13, when we were a little too pudgy, just discovering what acne is, and had a mouth full of braces to display. Looking back, we shudder at our outfit choices or our hairstyles, wondering what on earth we must have been thinking going out in public looking like that! This handful of years was a confusing time for our bodies, as our hormones and puberty were in full swing, making each day begin with a groan. Yet, isn’t it just a little bit true that those years were necessary? Of course, they’re necessary in order for our bodies to mature from children to adults, but what about emotionally? What would people be like nowadays if the “awkward phase” no longer existed at the most impressionable time of our lives: our early teens?
Even if it seems like someone you know didn’t have an awkward phase, trust me when I say that they did. Everyone's phase can certainly vary in degrees of awkwardness. For myself, around ages 11-14 I was pudgy, didn’t know how to take care of my hair, had braces and glasses, not to mention all of elementary school I wore uniforms, so I had no idea how to dress myself come middle school. I show people my photos from this time period and they don’t even realize that it’s me (thank goodness).
That being said, it was probably the hardest three years of my life. A lot of my friends at the time weren’t having nearly as awkward a time as I was, so in comparison, I definitely stuck out. I remember one day walking through the crowded halls of my middle school, having to stand in a line behind my friends in order to sift through the crowd to our next class. A group of two or three boys made seductive comments and faces (or at least as seductive as a 12- year-old can be) to my friends as they passed, but as soon as I reached them they said, verbatim, “ew, gross.” It’s a hard blow, having something like that said to you when you’re only twelve, and occasions like this happened multiple times throughout the next few years and until the end of my freshman year of high school, when my awkward phase was finally over.
So, why exactly is this an important time to have in our lives? If it’s filled with such self-conscious and humiliating thoughts, then why should we all appreciate it? We need this time period because it humbles us. This time period gives us photos to look back at and remind us how much easier things are now. Personally, it inspires me to look my best and stay healthy, so that I won’t ever return to that time in my life. This phase will shape how we are to grow up and see the world, giving us either negative or positive views of those around us. While my phase may have been filled with many negative experiences, it made me indifferent to them. By the time I was almost 14, I no longer cared about what other people thought because their comments wouldn’t change what I was. Now, at age 19, the only person’s opinion that matters is my own. I try to look my best for myself, not to please those around me. I owe this to learning indifference during my “awkward phase.”
For those of you that feel as though maybe you’re going through your awkward phase now, or maybe even going through a second phase, just remember that it’ll get better. Set goals for yourself. If you’re feeling sluggish, then try to get a little more exercise. Hair bothering you? Maybe it’s time to shake it up with a new style. More acne? Trust me, we all get it, just keep a clean face and visit a dermatologist if it sticks around too long.
It’s when we are feeling our lowest that we can truly define ourselves, so if you’re feeling down, just pull out those sixth grade photos and be thankful that those days are over.
