Bless the girls who are not afraid to stand out. The ones who stay away from the cliche and embrace all the wonderful things in life. These girls (or anyone for that matter) are often the ones who are called weird or strange, simply because they aren't on the latest trends or crushing on Hollywood's latest heart throb. I am one of these girls, and I am unashamed of the person I am. I hold on to things that are beautiful for a lifetime: art, poetry, classical music, and the like, and I stay away from the crop tops, short skirts, and wild parties. It's not easy being the way I am and going to college. College has a combination of the three things I listed above. It's very hard seeing these "popular" people around campus and wondering why I am the way I am. So, unique girls, I decided to dedicate this article to you because you aren't afraid to be you!

Self esteem is a tragically fragile thing. It takes courage to muster even the tiniest bit and a single rude comment to tear it completely down. I'm one of these girls that holds myself to impossible standards. I have been in your shoes nearly all of my life. I sympathize with you so greatly because nothing is worse than looking in the mirror and being horrified with your own reflection. Nothing beats that one unnecessary remark from someone you hold dear. This article is my cry out to everyone who reads this: stop insulting people; you have no clue just how much damage you can do to a person with just a few words.

This dejection runs in cycles: some days you feel confident, others you want to hide away from the world. You compare yourself to everyone, especially the popular girls. You try to rationalize why you don't look like they do or act how they do. It's just not you. And guess what? That's ok. In fact, it's more than ok because you are you. You can stand out because you are not the same. Being different is not a sin, and it is not to be frowned upon. You don't have perfect skin or a model's body type? That's fine because you have mad beatboxing skills. Or maybe you can down a whole plate of spaghetti in less than two minutes. To each their own. You don't have to be like what everyone else is or is trying to be. I guarantee you, these "perfect" types may not have flaws in their appearance, but they might in their character, which counts more than you'll ever know.

Occasionally, the people we idolize, ya know, the ones who live the perfect life, have the perfect boyfriend, and drive a Mercedes are the worst kind of people. Sometimes, hidden beneath all of that "beauty," you'll find a beast. And not the one in the movie, either. These types of people hide their bad intentions behind something superficial. Lana Del Ray got it right when she sang "will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?" Beauty fades, but character lasts forever.

On the other hand, sometimes these "perfect people" have it just as bad, if not worse than you do, just in another way. You might be surprised what a girl can hide behind some false eyelashes and red lipstick. We never know a person until we get to know who they are both inside and out. It's so important that we not make assumptions about people without truly knowing them. No matter how the dumb saying goes, words always hurt. Why ruin someone's day with a rude remark?

This is not an anti-popular-people-article. It's a know-your-own-worth-article and a stop-comparing-yourself-to-other-people-article. Everyone has perfections, but no one is perfection. People have great qualities that make them, them, and you have great qualities that make you, you. Embrace both your flaws and your perfections. Don't tear yourself down because, in the end, all you have is you. Don't let yourself down, and don't let others determine how you view yourself. End of story.