Why dislike your appearance?

It’s common for teenagers to get sleepless nights over their looks. Many judge themselves way harder than they should and, this usually affects them socially and academically. “I really just hate the way I look, I have no self confidence. I really don’t see anything positive in my appearance and this makes me hideously jealous of practically every one of my friends, and I hate the fact that I am the only one who isn’t cute,” says 16-year-old Sifa. “I feel helpless. It is stopping me from being happy and I cannot look directly at people when I am out with them because I feel so ugly. I’ll never take a photograph, and I just cry when I look at mirrors. I don’t think I could ever explain any of this to any of my friends, they don’t seem to understand, and perhaps think I’m just seeking attention. It’s seriously getting me down,” the young teenage girl laments. If you find yourself in such a situation, you are not alone, a lot of teenagers have an unrealistically negative image of themselves, and it interferes with their daily lives. What you need to know is, you are probably not even ugly, you just think you are like most girls and guys do. You just have to stay positive about yourself and increase your confidence level, I know it’s hard at times but just try and stay positive. You need to come back down to reality and realize that outer appearance means nothing; it’s what is on the inside that counts. Work on the inner you and remember that beauty is not always skin deep. Some teens your age don’t even have arms or legs. “ I used to sit and cry and ask God why He made me ugly, but now when I think of the kids in Sudan, and other parts of the world who suffer with practically nothing to eat, it humbles me, and I forget about myself,” says Obedi Mugema, a Senior three student of Lycee De Kigali Secondary school. Remember, you only look as good as you look. So why waste a second not loving who you are? Those little imperfections make you beautiful. Why fix something that isn’t broken, forget about the way you look and focus on who you are inside. You need to find the beauty in yourself. Be happy with yourself. martin.bishop18@yahoo.com