Dare to defy social media peer pressure — just be yourself!

How many hours do you spend a day on social media? One hour? Two hours? More? I know that I spend way too much time watching and waiting to see what others are saying.

Teens often get told on social media to act a certain way or dress a certain way. Many of us are so determined to become a perfect person. Sometimes we try to live up to everybody’s expectations for who they want us to be. In some ways we are controlled by social media. We try to be someone else instead of just being ourselves. With school starting again very soon, it is time for you just to be you!

I think kids can get scared to be who they are and so they try to construct a new persona. It is no secret there are people out there who will try to suppress your voice. This criticism drives some kids into hiding behind a veil. There are teens who get picked on over what they say, how they look, etc. Unknowingly, social media forces this pressure on us. A famous stereotype is that girls need to wear makeup to look perfect.

The sad part is many girls try their best to live up to this stereotype. There have been times when I have been self-conscious over the way I look or what I wear, just because I know many people may not like it. I realized that the moment I start dressing to make someone else happy is when I stop being me.

This problem doesn’t concern only girls. Boys are affected by this too. From what I’ve seen, boys often get judged over how strong they are, how active they are, etc. It can influence how we look at ourselves, our body image. Sometimes kids do their best to meet everyone’s standards, instead of just being who they are. When you see others saying negative things about who you are, it ends up hurting your self-esteem. Some kids can fight through this and don’t let the negativity go to their heads. Others aren’t so lucky.

We all have some celebrities that we look up to. In some ways we want to be like them. If a celebrity says that you have to wear certain type of clothes to be considered pretty, many are going to try to look that way. That’s because everyone just wants to fit in.

I say we were not born to be the same. We have different personalities and are unique. No one is perfect. We all have flaws, whether we admit this or not. Yet it is our flaws that make us who we are, that make us unique. To all the boys and girls who are reading this: Don’t let anyone ever tell you how to live your life. You are the only person who can control what you say, what you do or anything you believe.

Meagan Miller’s students, Ivy League School, Smithtown