Be YOUnique

Gabby Waltermyer, Opinion Writer

It is so easy to judge in today’s society. We judge people based on looks, clothing, actions, materialistic possessions, and even personalities. Everyone comes with their own unique qualities and traits. The worst thing a society can do is make someone feel like who they are isn’t good enough. If someone feels their personality is being judged, they’re going to try to conform to what is normal and accepted. This shouldn’t be the case. Everyone should feel welcomed to do and say the things that make them who they are. If you are a person who struggles to be who they are due to fear of what others might think, I challenge you to stop caring and be yourself. Why would you go day-to-day conforming to society’s expectations instead of being who you are? I am at a point in my life where people’s opinions about me and what I do don’t a ect me. No one will ever make me feel bad enough to change who I am. Whether people think I’m weird, annoying, or just plain ridiculous, I will not stop being me. I know many people in my life who act one way at school and another way at home. For some, it is because their mood changes in di erent environments. For others, it is fear of what others may think of them. I have a friend who is too scared to share their biggest secrets with the person they call their “best friend.” Everything they tell their best friend

is judged constantly and thrown back in their face to make them feel insigni cant. Their own best friend is the person they worry about being judged by the most. I catch pieces of hall conversations completely diminishing someone’s hair or out t choice on casual days. We sit here and call people fake because we have all made them that way! At some point, they felt the need to change who they were just because of us.

I understand that being judged is a scary thing, and that being rejected for who you are is worse than just pretending to be someone you’re not. No one can make fun of you if there’s nothing to make fun of, right? Maybe that’s true, but where’s the fun in that? Be so con dent in who you are that it drives people crazy. Make weird comments and wear di erent clothes. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is your happiness.

We all fear judgment, so we avoid it. If no one had to worry about what others thought, then everyone would be happy. So my question to you is, why are you judging others for who they are? If every day you were fully you and someone put you down for it, wouldn’t that make you want to change your personality? I am guilty of judging others just like we all are. However, I try my best every day to accept people for who they are and what they do. If we can get rid of judgment, we can get rid of fake personalities and bring to light the beautiful people we truly are.