Dear girls,

You more than likely have figured out that being a girl is NOT easy. We deal with things that boys cannot relate to: periods, pregnancy, you know the drill. We deal with so much scrutiny from the public eye, no matter if you're famous or if you're from a small town in the middle of nowhere. Everyone has something to say, and sometimes it's not always the most positive thing. We fight with ourselves every single day over our body image. It's a constant struggle, trust me, I know how it feels We are constantly being judged for being too heavy or too skinny, for wearing too much makeup or wearing none at all. It really never stops.

One thing that I have noticed, however, is that we complain about constantly being scrutinized and degraded, yet we are the ones who put ourselves in those situations. We send out dirty pictures to the opposite sex to get their attention, to feel wanted, yet it just makes us look like we're "asking for it". I'm not saying we all do this, but I'm sure you've been guilty of it at some point or another. Teenage girls have a very difficult time adjusting to puberty and the hormones that come along with it. We are harder on ourselves than anyone else could be towards us. Why do we make the decision to put ourselves in the position to get hurt?

I have been witness to many girls going out of their way to get attention, as I've said above. I have heard of girls sending out dirty texts or pictures, just to get attention from boys. Yet, those girls still complain about being degraded and not being treated the way they want to be. Isn't that a little hypocritical? You are bringing it on yourself. What do you expect them to do? As a former teenager, I know just as well as anyone else that teenage boys are jerks (no offense to those who aren't, lucky you!). They're horny little assholes who will do anything to embarrass you! If you send out something racy, or that could potentially get you in trouble, that boy (or boys) will definitely jump on the opportunity to show their friends, or post it on social media for the whole world to see. Is that really what you want? Or when you get black out drunk at a high school party and a boy takes advantage of you, or you end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning, was it really worth it?

Aside from the public humiliation that can come from making these choices, there are also consequences that could affect you later on in your life. You could get into trouble with the law, your parents, your school, etc. Do you really want to jeopardize your future for one boy? Or for a little attention?

Give yourself a break. You don't need to send those pictures or act like a slut at a party. You don't need to impress anyone. You may not understand it now, but once you get older, you'll realize that none of that means anything. You deserve to treat yourself better. Have some pride and have some self-confidence. You don't need to show your body to get a boy's attention. All of my high school relationships mean nothing now, I am a completely different person than I was back then. You are worth so much more than being that drunk girl at a party, or being the one in the picture that's sent all over school.

There is so much more to you than what's on the outside. You have a beautiful soul and have so many opportunities ahead of you. Don't waste them, or take this life for granted.