Journal #36

When growing up, you are always told to be yourself and to not let anyone change who you are.  That is one of the most difficult things teenagers have to go through.  During high school it is especially bad.  All you want to do is be liked and to fit in but to do that you have to be somebody you are not.  The girls in high school have a specific image that people want you to have.  The girls like to be skinny and tan.  I am not saying that all girls strive to be like this but a lot of people do.  A lot of girls risk getting skin cancer just so they can look tan.   I do not understand that at all.  Why would you risk getting skin cancer just to be someone you are not.  You should always be yourself because that is who you are most comfortable with and you do not want to change yourself just so you can be "cool." I have given up on trying to fit in and try to be somebody else because all it does is backfire and never works out.  Being myself also makes me happier than if I was trying to act like someone else.  My freshman year all I wanted to do was be popular and to fit in.  After that year of striving to be someone I was not, I told myself that I was perfect just being myself and I found some awesome friends who deal with my weirdness and true self.  If you are yourself, more people will like you because you are not afraid to be yourself and to stay away from conforming to society.  You will find friends who will accept you for you and you might find out that they are a lot like you.  As you go through life, keep in mind that no one is more perfect than yourself, so you should always be that person.