Veneers. Peer pressure.
It’s funny how nobody is never happy the way they are or feel they have to change themselves.
Girls with curly hair attempting to straighten it. Straight haired girls getting perms. Light skinned girls basking in the sun to become darker. Darker skinned girls getting their skin bleached to become lighter. Guys and girls alike altering the coloring of their hair. Many girls’ faces hidden behind a heavy mask of makeup.
I believe that deep down inside, most of today’s teenagers are all the same. That seemingly confident boy or girl spins a web of lies about their self to appear more “macho.” Mostly everyone, myself included, fabricates some sort of veneer or “false front” at times. Maybe to cover up an insecure and confused inner self? Many people pretend to be somebody they aren’t in order to feel accepted. But isn’t it amusing that since most people have that mentality, everybody becomes someone they aren’t.
And I know from my own experience, this is all too true. It’s evident everywhere. When I was younger, I remember not wanting to feel left out about not owning some kind of toy so I lied and said I owned the toy. That same principle occurs today. People make up things or say they’ve been to places or done this or that, when they really haven’t, to somehow make themselves feel better or more respected by peers.
Many people are afraid to say what they truly believe and think for fear of what others may say. A probable situation: a group of people is teasing a poor victim and in your mind, you disagree with what the rest of the group is doing. Chances are, you may keep quiet and not do anything or go along with the rest of the group. But the enlightening aspect…probably everybody in the group is thinking the same as you but nobody is really forceful and confident enough to make an effort. Or another likely occurrence: you are kind of interested in so-and-so but so-and-so is not the best-looking, etc. and will lower your reputation. So when others tantalize so-and-so, you play along and do nothing to defend so-and-so but feel guilty inside. [That scene from ‘A Walk to Remember’ comes to mind. Landon blows of Jamie in front of his friends in front of the lockers, etc…(don’t want to spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it though…lol)]. Goes to show how extremely influential peer pressure is.
Brainwashing. Prejudice. Reputations. Judgments.
Brainwashing is an interesting concept. If a friend continually tells you not to like this person, etc. you usually psyche your mind to do what that friend says. It’s a shame at times because you did not allow yourself to formulate your own opinion about that person, you just relied on your friend’s opinion.
Prejudice and reputations are simply evil and way too powerful. If you hear something bad about someone before you meet him/her, much related to brainwashing, your mind is already pre-biased before giving the person a chance to reveal who they really are. Some stubborn people hold onto their prejudice so strongly that nothing can deter them from it. Reputations are a fragile thing, just like trust. One false move and a reputation is ruined or a trust is permanently scarred. I think everyone is allowed to make his or her own mistakes and learn from them. So maybe a girl was used by a boy and then dumped. I personally believe people have no right to brand her and judge her as a so-called “slut.” So that was something shitty that happened, maybe it was somewhat her fault, but why the need for a derogatory attitude toward her?
Innocence. Being a kid.
That’s the thing with growing up. We learn more things but possibly lose sight of who we really are. As younger kids, we don’t know much about the world so we are carefree with little worries about anything. You look in the mirror. Who are you looking at? Sometimes the one looking back at you is a total stranger. You cannot recall who you are any longer. You are so wrapped up in your “false front” that this mask conquers you and the innocent true self is almost obliterated. Underneath that makeup is an already beautiful youthful face.
It’s so very true that if everybody in the world were sincerely themselves- no pretending, no hiding behind artificial exteriors and egos- that the world would be a much more healthier, happier, and better place. I know most people really want to be themselves but they cannot bring themselves to. It takes some effort and guts to be assertive enough to get your own genuine voice heard.
But no matter how much you have repressed that pure and lighthearted child, that wonderful face, or that earnest and real personality- it’s still present and alive inside, no matter how minute it may be.
Take a look in the mirror again. Smile. There’s someone in there just yearning to be rediscovered. Someday, I hope we can all find ourselves again.
[AN: I was writing this late yesterday and just saved it. It makes sense to me but I have no clue if it makes sense to anybody else, so sorry if it doesn’t!](note: some comments are written as anonymous but show someone's userpic because i was trying to transfer comments from my old journal to this new journal)
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