People in today's society are often forced to act, look and feel a specific way. Our culture wants to dictate how we operate, as if we are robots and not individuals. If you don't make straight A's you are stupid. If you do, you are a nerd. If you never party then you are a killjoy. If you do party then you are throwing your life away. Society says "Be perfect! Wait, no, not that way."

Society wants you to be yourself, all while being perfect. You have to have the perfect body which consists of having a stick then body with big boobs if you are a woman and toned abs if you are a man. And when you do not have that body, your self esteem bottoms out. Then, you are drawn into the world of starvation and depression.

You also have to be "young and reckless." If you don't want to go out for a drink or smoke or even do drugs, you aren't "fun." And when you are finally peer pressured into going to that party, you are called a goody-two-shoes for not going home with the guy that was grinding all over you. There are even some that are being ridiculed for taking pride in being a "church girl/guy."

While people need to realize that we all are causing this, we are not the only ones at fault. The media has had a big role in exploding these expectations. It shows our youth that most of the "norms" today are extremely harmful and not glamorous. But what the media does not see is how the youth is being affected. Suicide rates have sky rocketed. Instead of worrying about what they want to be when they grow up, teens are worrying about how they can transform to be perfect.

This is what society has formed the normal into.

But you do not have to be perfect.

And you should not expect that of yourself any longer.

Instead of being peer pressured into going to that party or having that smoke, say no and stand up for yourself. We need to change our values an starting putting creativity and individuality first. Society needs to stop creating an outline for how people should live and start letting them make their own.

All people: men, women, black, white, should be able to look a certain way, act a certain way and feel a certain way without being back-lashed and patronized. We are not robots. We should work for what we want and learn to better ourselves for our own reasons, not because society wants us to. Live outside of the box and create your own image of perfection.

Because perfection is boring. Your imperfections are what make you perfect.