I am more than a daughter. I am more than a sister. I am more than a friend. I am more than a sorority woman. I am more than a college student. I am more. I am more than the sum of my experiences and so are you. Often times we get so bogged down with labels. Labels that society places on us; labels our friends, family and loved ones place on us. Worse, though, is when we get caught up on the labels we give ourselves. I don't know about you, but I have been far from kind to myself when self-labeling. Fat, awkward, stupid, ugly, unlovable, crazy, slutty, forgettable. Pathetic. Sometimes, the labels we give ourselves are the worst of the worst. It may be cliché to say, but — at least in my case — we can certainly be our own worst critics. Even as people who see me through loving eyes are trying to build me up, I still constantly feel the compulsion to tear myself right back down. My own thoughts of myself have caused me to hit rock bottom multiple times. It's easy to always think the worst of yourself whenever you have anxiety or depression, or have been bullied your whole life; but even people without mental issues struggle with identity, self-worth, self-esteem and more importantly, self-love.
So, what would happen if people started shedding their labels? What if people started identifying themselves with their passions, hopes and dreams? Healing would begin to happen. Love would begin to happen. Enlightenment would begin to happen. We can't expect to find peace in the world until we make peace with each other. We can't make peace with each other until we accept each other and respect one another. Acceptance of each other begins with acceptance of self. We have to work to strip the labels, criticisms and self-hate. It's not an easy path; especially when we've been conditioned by the media to pick each other and ourselves apart. Conditioned to nitpick and emphasize every minuscule flaw. But, through perseverance and retraining, it can be done and done beautifully. Once people begin to find the beauty in themselves, they can find it in each other. Imagine a world where people love themselves and their fellow humans. A world where there is encouragement, kindness and happiness. We should strive to love ourselves so that we are better capable of loving others.
How did you identify yourself when you were young? You know, before the media influence poisoned you with negativity and unrealistic standards. Before you were conditioned to analyze yourself through a microscope, before you were brainwashed to shun anyone or anything that was "different." When I was younger, I loved myself. Before the mental illness started clouding my view of myself, before the teasing and bullying taught me that I was fat, nerdy, strange and whatever other negative things people felt like making me believe about myself. Back before I was tainted by negativity and labels, I loved myself and focused on the positive things about myself. I've been striving to get back to that point. It's a struggle but it is worth every bit of effort I put into it on a daily basis. I'm learning to love myself again, learning to live above labels, learning to put positivity into myself so that I may put it into others.
Who am I? I am more than my "alternative" appearance. I am more than my tattoos and piercings, more than my hair color and style of dress. I am more than a Christian. I am more than a feminist. I am more than a music lover. I am more than a girlfriend. I am more than my skin color, my family history and where I came from. I am more than my gender and my political leanings. I am sunshine and laughter. I am friendship and love. I am someone who believes that people are inherently good. I am someone who believes in following your dreams and taking care of yourself. I am someone that believes everything happens for a reason. I am someone who believes that we can live life outside of labels. I am more. What will you choose to be?
