Due to societal constructs most teenage girls have problems with body image. I remember when I was younger I heard about all these girls having problems with confidence and I went out of my way to assure everyone I had it. I remember my saying of choice for proving my confidence was that I would get on a table randomly and dance because I just didnt care what others thought. See that only lasted until about half way through sixth grade. Surprisingly I remember the moment, it was monday and over the weekend I had made a drastic hair decision. In the past my hair has always been a way I express myself but that is a story for another day. Anyway, over the weekend I had decided to shave the sides of my hair and leave some longer hair on top. In the past I had never been nervous to come to school with new hair so I didn’t think this would be a problem. I remember I walked into the gym where all of our classes met before the bell and I was terrified to walk past all those people. I just kept thinking that everyone was looking at me and I could feel their stares burning into me saying I looked ugly or I looked like a boy. I felt like I was going to throw up as I slowly walked to my seat. I still dont know what really brought this on except for society bringing people up that way. I dont understand why I felt like this and why any of us have to. Discovering a feeling of self dislike at a young age and growing up with it, thorugh bullies, and high school, and first boyfriends, is a hard thing to do, and a thing I wouldnt wish upon anyone. It really sucks that society has conditioned us this way where girls have this ideal and when they dont fit it to a tee they suddenly hate most about themselves. I wish I could say everything turns out perfectly okay but thats just not true, its hard, high school is evil, but you will make it through. There is no reason to resort to extremes, I promise there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You might not see it yet, but its there, in the distance, shining bright just for you. Everyone these days preach self love. This big all encompassing term that is supposed to make everything better. However, thats like saying that repeating the word peace over and over again will make all the fighting stop, or asking a depresed person why they are sad when they have all these good things, or like asking a person with asthma why they cant breathe when there is all this air. It just doesnt work like a magic switch. We dont have some giant switch in our heads that you can flip and turn off all the bad thoughts, it just doesnt work like that. Self love is something you have to work for, each and every day. A new small hoop to jump through whenever you are ready for the next step. Self love also isnt just that, on the road to self acceptance you need to form relationships, have people there who truly love you for you. You cannot do this is alone this is a fight you all have to fight, you on the front line against the world.