by: Maleah Thompson, senior, William A. Hough High School
If I could change one thing about this community, I would alter the facade that everything has to be “perfect”. People are breaking themselves in hope of pleasing others around them, and we are all guilty of it. I want to destigmatize imperfection. We put on a face every morning and hide all of the “flaws” in an attempt to appease society’s unattainable standard.
I can admit to doing it almost every day. We are asked the question “How are you doing?” and by default reply “I’m good!” in a cheery tone. When I am asked, the majority of the time the default answer is not anywhere near the truth. I assume that this experience is similar if not the same for others. I used to enter each day with a smile on my face when it was far from what I was truly feeling.
From the outside I seem as if I have everything together; I have “good” grades, “good” friends, and “good” mental health. There is something behind each of these topics that has brought grief at some time or another, yet no one would expect it. Physically, I have aspects of myself I am not fond of: my glasses, stretch marks, my teeth, and a plethora of other insecurities that I have desperately tried to hide so that the world does not see my self-doubt. Rather than seeing the beauty in these qualities, I threw myself into a harmful mindset of self-rejection.
For the first time, I have found myself caring about how I view myself in place of external validation and have realized that these are not imperfections at all; they are parts of myself to love and welcome. I have understood that there is nothing wrong with any of the aspects I once deemed “unloveable”. This understanding came through a journey of tending to my mental health with the same importance as my physical health.
We all have “stuff” going on behind the scenes that we are afraid for the world to see. Even if I can’t bear it to the world, I want to acknowledge to myself that I am enough and that my insecurities and so-called flaws do nothing to define my character.
Today’s atmosphere expects us to make sure that everything is “fine” all of the time, but it is not, and it does not have to be. We are all human. Humans are an imperfect species, and every organism has some sort of flaw. Rather than erasing them from the world, we should embrace our “flaws” and instead focus on the positive aspects in each person.
That is what I want to change. My goal is to bring forth and implement the practice of loving oneself without the fear of judgement not only to people I know, but to the entire community of Davidson and beyond.
– Maleah