The other day while walking to class, I caught myself walking with my head down, afraid of making eye contact with anyone else and afraid of others judging me. Throughout the week, I found myself putting my head down everywhere I walked and I stopped to ask myself, why? Why did I feel the need to put my head down as if I am ashamed of who I am? The more I looked around me while walking to class everyday, the more I realized I was not the only one who was guilty of this. So why is our generation so afraid of what others think of them? Why do we cower our head in shame? Why are we so ashamed of who we are? The answer is simple really. It can be found all around us: in the media, magazines, on TV, in movies, in music, in celebrities, in the words we speak to each other, the way we think it is ok to put others down, and in the way we gossip and judge one other behind each other's back. But why do we do this? Why is our generation guilty of letting these factors influence how we view one another and how we view ourselves?

Our generation looks to celebrities and the media and models and people like Kim Kardashian to show us how the world thinks everyone should look and we let this get to our heads and in turn, we belittle those around use and most importantly, we end up belittling ourselves. But the truth is, no one looks like Kim Kardashian and no one looks like half of the supermodels on the runway and to be honest, no one should look like that. Those celebrities and models have countless surgeries and take medication to look the way they do and no normal human being actually looks that way. We should not let the way the media tells our generation how to look and act affect how we view ourselves and others. If we do not look a certain way or dress a certain way or act a in a way that the media says we should, we should not let that cause us to love ourselves and others any less.

Love yourself for who you are, the characteristics that make you you; love all of your flaws, and love others for theirs too. Love your dimples, love your crooked smile, love your freckles, love your bushy eyebrows. Love your ginger hair, love your blonde hair, love your pixie cut, love your hair that flows past your butt. Love your body for the way it is, whether you are small or large. Love your legs, love your butt, flat or fat. Love yourself from head to toe. Do not get into the habit of cowering your head in shame because you are afraid of what others will think of the way you look or the way you act. Be you and let everyone see you for you. Learn to love yourself and self confidence will follow.

The other day my boyfriend and I were eating at the school cafeteria after class and there was a boy with Down Syndrome sitting at the table in front of us. I have seen him many times before at the cafeteria and every time I would see him, he would always have the biggest smile on his face and he was never afraid to go up and talk to new people. He has a bright and beautiful spirit and is not afraid of what others think of him. This particular day in the cafeteria however was pretty busy and there were not very many empty tables open. Another young man approached the boy at the table and asked if he could sit down and eat with him. They laughed and talked together all throughout lunch and the smile on the boy's face the whole time was priceless. The young man who approached the boy at the table saw past his disability and sat down and ate lunch with him, making his day. He did not let what others in society today considered to be "normal" influence his decision to make someone's day and the boy with Down Syndrome did not let his disability define him. Because others saw his bright and cheerful spirit and saw the self confidence and self love he had for himself, people viewed him as approachable and someone they wanted to be friends with. I wish everyone could have as much self confidence as this boy and as much love for others as the young man who approached him. Maybe if we could all lived by this example, we would not feel the need to put our heads down when we walked.