For those who seem to not be able to find their tribe -- we are here waiting.
From a young age, I always tried to fit in. I was a frizzy, bright-redheaded girl who stood taller than the rest of her classmates, so fitting in wasn’t really in the plan. But I wasn’t having it.
Middle School
In middle school, Aeropostale was the absolute best. If your shirt didn’t have “Aero” written across it along with having Birkenstocks on your feet, you just weren’t cool. So of course I begged my family to buy me these trends. Because at the time I didn’t understand how hard money was to come by for my family, I was upset when my mom would tell me that we couldn’t afford these clothes that were so integral to my teenage popularity.
High School
"....keeping myself secluded and struggling with my insecurity battles alone."
Fast forward to high school. Skinny jeans, Patagonia jackets, Kate Spade bags, straight hair. It was hopeless. I felt defeated. I didn’t understand why I didn’t look as pretty as the other girls. Sure, I didn’t exactly try to make friends because I didn’t participate in sports or in clubs, I didn’t go to football games or school functions. I didn’t want to show my face at school in general, but of course this was a legality issue that I had no control of. So I went to school hidden by a metaphorical layer of skin, acting as a barrier, keeping myself secluded and struggling with my insecurity battles alone. I thought nobody else felt like I did.
Get Inspired
In a society such as today, we have so many outside sources telling us how we should dress, how we should act, how we should talk and who to talk to. There are so many “rules.” If we stray away from the norm, we are considered different and almost weird. I am an outsider trapped in an insiders world.
When I realized I couldn’t change how society viewed me, my closet exploded with styles that were more “me” than ever before: converse, ripped jeans, red lipstick, black shirts, pink tanks, brown strappy sandals, cowboy boots, baseball caps… because who said we have to fit into a category?
Self-love is an inside job. If you do not love and accept yourself for not just your strengths, but also your weaknesses, then you cannot expect anyone else to love you, either. You are great and you should carry yourself like so. Because afterall, you are made of stardust.
Comments