By: Joyce S.
Insecurity. It is
the root of so many issues. It can cause one to hide their light, to hesitate
about displaying their true colors, and to live in a constant state of worry.
All throughout childhood we have been told to be ourselves, but that becomes
more difficult later in life. For everyone, insecurity sets in at one point or
another and it can break apart a person from the inside. When constantly
worrying about what everyone thinks of you, the stress begins to build, tensions
begin to rise, and before you know it, the person you once were is shrouded
behind a wall constructed of one thing. Insecurity.
In
this modern era, society does not help with the battle against self-esteem
issues. In fact worsens it. On T.V., in movies, and in many types of media, we
are shown what we should look like and how we should act. The picture of beauty
that is captured by the media is used to show us who we should be, thus making
us pawns in their marketing strategy. They convince us that if we use a certain
shampoo we’ll look just like the model in the ad; but in reality, they are just
feeding into our insecurities.
Those
perfect models that the media shows us aren’t really perfect. They use make up,
professional stylists, Photoshop, plastic surgery, and so much more to reach
that impossible level of perfection. When we see these images, we compare ourselves
and ultimately kill our own self-esteem. The media tries to tell us how to be
beautiful. They tell us that we need to be fixed. And they have managed to
convince us that we are broken.
We
are not broken. We do not need to be fixed by anyone, especially the media whose
only concern is making a profit.
If being insecure
is exhausting, frightening, and it makes you feel so isolated, is it really
worth it? Constantly caring about what everyone thinks of you is draining,
unfulfilling, and can pull even the best of us down. Would you rather try to
make everyone love you, but be unhappy; or love those who love you for you, and
find happiness? The choice is yours.
One of the main
keys of battling self-esteem issues is learning to love you! Never say anything
about yourself that you would not say to your best friend. If you tell yourself
you’re not pretty enough, imagine telling that to your friend. Imagine the
immense pain of hearing something so awful from someone so close.
Every time you say,
“I wish I was…” you are building up your wall of insecurity. You are making it
harder to find yourself… to be yourself… to love yourself.
How do you love
yourself if you cannot find the real you under all of the fear? Remember, your
beauty is not defined by one person, or even several people. Your beauty cannot
be defined by movies, magazines, or by any other form of media. You define your
own self-beauty. If you love yourself those around you will naturally love you
too. It will take time and effort, but when you do let go of your fear, your
confidence will grow and life will be that much more enjoyable.
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