Like a normal teenage girl, I have a lot of insecurities. I'm always concerned about the way I look and the way I talk - things that seem to be normal to be insecure about. I constantly look at articles about the girls who have found their confidence inside themselves somewhere and they did not find it until a certain point in their life, and I give them props for finding the beauty in themselves. Although, most of these girls experienced their boost during their college years or prior to them. Does this mean my time is coming, or will I and other girls continue to wait?
There is a problem though; we should not have to wait. We should be teaching girls from day one that they are beautiful - no matter what shape or size. Girls should not feel like they have to wait to find themselves. Not that we should be telling girls who they are, but we should be encouraging them to speak up strongly and be proud of what they say! I was so shy throughout elementary and middle school just because I was scared to be judged from getting an answer wrong to a question or saying something someone does not agree with. Guess what? It doesn't matter. It didn't come back to haunt me because no one remembers anything at that age nor does anyone care! We need to teach girls that things you say when you're younger or even as a teen does not matter in the future, and stop criticizing them from the first word that comes out of their mouth.
The major factor that takes girls, including myself, to figure out is who they need approval of themselves from and there is only one answer; yourself. I constantly struggle with this still. Growing up in society is hard today; you feel the need to wear certain name brands, speak a specific way, and walk/act in a way that you'll fit in. Some people will even push their boundaries with this where they will attend parties and drink even if they don't like alcohol because that is how they feel they'll be accepted (those are not your true friends, by the way). You want to surround yourself with people that love you as much as you should love yourself, not the ones who would get you drunk or high to start loving yourself.
I'm going to end this on a quote from my best friend, Darian, when I asked why is confidence important overall and I could not agree with her more: "I think confidence is important because it's the first view of yourself and who you are, where you are, and where you're going. Confidence makes you able to perceive yourself and how you view others." Why care what your peers think? If you love yourself, why care about who doesn't love you? Be secure and confident - there is no other you on this planet so make the most of it.
