The Pressure to Look “Perfect”
When I was in 4th or 5th grade, there was one thing I thought about every single morning: what I was going to wear. Before school, I'd stand in front of my closet trying to pick the "perfect" outfit. I wanted people to think I looked put together. I wanted them to think I was doing everything right.
The funny thing is... I still catch myself doing that today. Some mornings, I don't even want to get out of bed, but I still feel like I have to look perfect. If I can't do that, I try another way—I make sure I seem happy, friendly, and confident, even when I'm not feeling that way.
One day, my mom and I went shopping together. I was talking to a store employee about the size of a skirt. On the way home, my mom suddenly said, "That didn't sound like the real you. It's like you're always trying to be the perfect person in front of other people. Doesn't that get exhausting?"
I didn't know what to say. When I got back to my room, I kept thinking about what she said. Was I really acting that way? And if I was... why did other people's opinions matter so much to me?
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