By Jaleana @themisteriousworld
Everyone has felt insecure about something, even the little things that no one else sees. At one point, that was me.
Hi! I'm Jaleana. I am 15 years old and I finally concluded to respect the body and face God has given me. I know some are going to say, “She’s young! She doesn't know what she's talking about!” Yes, I am young but I'm more mature than you think. But that is not the point! Today's topic is: self-love (confidence and self-esteem).
My story is a lot and I doubt any of you really want to know, so I'll make it quick but known. My whole life I've been bullied not just about the way I look, but even my own name! That’s how sick some people are. I used to HATE my last name because they would always switch it up and make jokes about it. I used to come home and ask my mom if I could legally change it. That’s how miserable it made me. I used to get body shamed in the THIRD GRADE! Can you even believe that?! But no one cared. My school never really did anything about it until in the 6th grade when I started changing; I had gotten bad grades, skipped class, and even got into fights. Then, one day, they had enough of this 6th grader and suspended me and told me to “take some time.” When I came back, they sent me straight to the counselor. I had to go everyday but I never changed. Then comes 7th grade. I told myself I wouldn’t let anything get to me . I started focusing on my grades, made new friends, and ignored those who were putting negativity towards me in the past. And that is when I knew that that was what I had to do for the rest of my life. I did that the whole last two years of middle school. But things started going downhill during the summer of 2019. I got more into social media and boy, let me tell you social media IS the problem TO our problems!
I am guessing most of you all know the app TikTok. TikTok at first used to be something fun. People would just dance and make comedy videos for the fun of it. However, it has turned into something different...in a toxic way. Everything is becoming worse, not only TikTok as a platform, but also what's going on in the world. Unfortunately, becauseTikTok is such a big platform, mostly everything gets posted on there now.
For example, there is this one trend (which should not even be a trend) where you use the lyric “I wish that I was good enough” from the song, Hold Me While You Wait by Lewis Capaldi. Before the lyric comes up, you put up a bunch of pictures of girls/boys you think are perfect. Then, you pause to say the lyric, and then continue with the pictures. Typically, there will be people in the comments saying, “Oh, you're beautiful!”, “Don't say that!”, “You're more than enough.” Then, if you go on to the commenter’s account, you will see that they have also participated in the trend. In my mind, I'm thinking “Why can't you talk to yourself the way you talk to other people? Why can't you call yourself beautiful but you can call other people beautiful who've done the same trend you did?”
Ever since that trend came out, it has kind of put me down. Not in my confidence, but it made me feel down because girls/boys do not think that they are pretty. Everyone is beautiful in their own skin. God put you in your body. God made you who you are. There is a reason for what you have. There is a reason that you have your body. Everything has a reason. Everything has a purpose. God made you, you. You are unique. You are not going to look like some other girl/boy that you think is perfect. Nobody is perfect, and I hope you know that.
No one is perfect; No one.
All the influencers or the people that you're posting the pictures of...they, themselves, do not think that they are perfect. They have insecurities too. They also have flaws. I have seen plenty of influencers do that same trend with the Hold Me While You Wait song by Lewis Capaldi but some have not. I think maybe this is because they think they are going to get backlash because it has happened in the past where their followers think they have it good because “they're so perfect”.
And then here you have the chain. It's similar to the first trend but here is where they make the video and then someone follows by putting the picture of the person who did it before saying that they wish they were good enough and then the chain keeps going on. I have seen some people do it for attention and I have also seen some people do it because they think they are not good enough. YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH. YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH. It just might take some time to realize it. I want you to try telling the stuff you tell to those you think are the “pretty ones,” “perfect ones,” and “influencers” to yourself instead. Look at yourself in the mirror and say those things you comment under their posts or wish you could tell them. Say it to yourself. You are worth it. You are enough. Do not ever think otherwise. Do not let someone ever tell you you are worthless. You are more than worth it.
I feel like people who tell others that they are worthless may be the ones who are most insecure or they do not want people to have what they have. I hope this world changes to something better because I do not want it to be like this anymore where girls and boys have to think they have to look a certain way to do stuff or to be more. It should not be like this. We have to make a change we have to let the world know that body shaming isn't a thing anymore, and the only people who can make the change are us: the youth.
Here are some tools that helped me find who I am becoming today:
Quotes:
“As I’m getting stronger, I’m here for longer, F you problems I’m here to fight”
“You’re going through this pain for a reason”
“You need to get out of your comfort zone”
“If we keep saying never then obviously its never going to happen”
“I don’t speak about the present I speak about the future”
Songs:
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