"You are not as pretty as her."

"You are not a skinny."

"You need to be like everyone else."

"You are not as smart as everyone else."

"You simply cannot do that."

In today's society, girls are "body shamed." This can be defined as making negative comments towards someone about their body, appearance, and many other things. This is a trend that definitely needs to die in 2017. Many times I find myself comparing myself to others and their appearance and body type. I have since realized that I am beautiful. I am smart. I can do anything that I set my mind to. So, why are these things so hard to see? I believe that social media's influence in today's world has made this trend very popular. Young girls are having to grow up believing that they have to look like, be like, act like the things that social media portrays as role models. These girls are growing up looking up to celebrities that take pictures that show off a majority of their body, a face full of makeup, and photoshop to the max. The way some of these "role models" look online is not even realistic.

Luckily, I grew up with a family who showed me love and told me that no matter what, I am beautiful, smart, worthy of respect, and that the people who are on social media are not who you should look to for a role model. In the Bible, God tells us that we are, "... fearfully and wonderfully made..." We are all made in the image of God. You are always your worst critic. In the image of God, we should not put ourself down. We should walk around with our heads held high because we are made to walk with our heads held high and our light shining. Walking with that light uncovered and not comparing ourselves to others.

There will always be a voice in your head saying that you are not worth it. That you are not smart enough. That you are not beautiful. That you are nothing. This voice in your head isn't you—it is the corruption that social media has put in your head. It is the devil telling you that you are worthless, ignorant, useless, repulsive. Don't listen to it. Especially when God is telling you that you are valuable, you are his child, you are worthy, you represent him. Don't listen to the world and the things of the world.

These things in this world will pass away. Mark 8:36 says, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Trying to be like the world, and trying to be like the people in social media will ultimately tire you out. It will bog you down until you are back to feeling like nothing. These feelings are just what the devil wants. He wants you to be tired out in the world. He wants you to feel like nothing, like you can't shine your light anymore. You can always shine the light that God gave you because God is the only light in a world full of darkness and corruption. Sometimes, you have to ask yourself, do you remember who you were before the world told you what you should be?

So, to the voice inside your head, you are pretty in your own way. You own your body type. You can't be like everyone else because you are unique. You are as smart as the time you take to learn. You can do ANYTHING that you want to do.