The media is constantly sending mixed messages. To be yourself- yet not too much because it might weird people out, or express your art- but carefully because you might offend someone. Society has adapted to mindsets like these and have attained preconceptions of what “normal” is- and it has to end.
I’ve always been a quiet person. I was never the type to go out of my way to introduce myself to someone or put myself out of my comfort zone. A little over a year ago I started liking a boy I had already known for awhile. He liked me back and we had something good going for about a year- when one day something completely shifted. When the ignoring and the excuses began to pile on top of each other, the message was very clear. I was hurt of course, but more hurt about the reasoning behind it. He had met another girl, and had told others that she was prettier, and that he would “get more” from her. Like most, I have my insecurities. But I had never gotten to the point where I questioned who I was as a person. After hearing this, I completely hated everything about myself. I was angry for having geeky obsessions, for being so shy, for dressing the way I do. I dissected every part of my being and criticized it harder than I ever had in my life. All because a boy thought I wasn’t good enough.
Majority of people in this society when confronted with this issue would deny it of existing, but the truth is, so many of us are guilty of having this mentality or having a similar one. I’m so tired of living among people who think I need to share the same interests, dress the same way or be willing to do the same thing in order to be considered normal- and I’m tired of the women in our society feeling like they don’t have a safe place to express who they truly are. I am perfect in all my ways, whether a boy likes it or not. What makes me different makes me stand out, and I won’t be shut out by voices dictating who I’m meant to be.
