The media can make you want things without putting too much thought into it. Just buy the latest makeup palette. Just wear what the majority wears. Just do your hair the way the other girls are doing it, and you’ll definitely be accepted. These are the types of things people can easily fall victim to doing. There is nothing wrong with taking part in a trend you enjoy or liking something that someone else also likes, but blindly throwing yourself at everything you see the majority doing or a celebrity is trying is not a good idea.

When everyone decides to do their makeup the same way, and dress the same way and style their hair the same way, all you get is a group of clones. Clones dictated by the actions of others. Clones who were once unique looking individuals who were once perfectly happy with their messy tufts of curls on their head. What makes being unique so hard for young people in particular?

You liked your shoes before you noticed everyone else wearing Nikes. You were fine with your bone-straight hair until you wanted to "glow-up" and change as much as the way you look as possible. What about doing your makeup one particular way constitutes as an improvement in appearance? Narrow standards of “good-looks” forces girls of a broad range of shapes and shades and hair textures to conform themselves to that one standard as best they can. Guess what, you can’t do it. But that doesn’t stop everyone from doing their best to get as close to being a “baddie” as they can.

When you do your makeup, do it because you’ve always loved winged eyeliner and not because the other girls in your class have started to do it. When you go shopping, buy the shirts that you think are comfortable and attractive. No one else's opinion should make you feel inferior and forced to look or act one specific way.

Being unique does not equal being ugly. It is important to understand that there are no set rules on how to be beautiful. There is no magic formula that you have to copy. The only way that you will ever be beautiful is by understanding that you can "slay" no matter if you conform or not. Do not allow others to tell you what beauty means to you, make your own definition. Do not be afraid to love yourself. Other people do not dictate your beauty, you do.