Confidence: A Battle Worth Fighting For

When the people in our are constantly putting each other down, it has started to become hard to be confident about yourself.

Sophia Selin, Columnist

People can show confidence in many different ways. Some wear unique clothes to express themselves, while some have a signature strut. Everyone has their own way, but some people  associate being confident with being stuck-up or a show-off. This leads some teenagers, kids, and adults to be shy about expressing themselves confidently. Peers gossip, adults criticize, and the media insists that we all look and act the same.

At the schools that I have been to, I have seen many examples of people being bullied and criticized for being comfortable in their own skin. I remember a girl who had her own unique style of clothing and attitude and people were constantly putting her down about it. Every time someone would say something mean, she would brush it off and carry on. I dearly admire her for her confidence and how she didn’t care what anyone said to her face or behind her back.

The media has all these expectations where the magazines and the web is setting standards where you should be size 0 and have a certain style or your make-up should be a certain way. I believe that part of being confident is being unique and being yourself. With all of the expectations and standards, it is sometimes hard to be confident about being myself. Remember, the people who are following the crowd may feel the same way as you.

Being yourself and being true to yourself is sometimes hard. All these trends and their followers may seem cool, and if you like them,  that’s great. If you don’t want to follow trends, you don’t need to. Be true to yourself and don’t forget that building up confidence can take time, but it is worth the battle.