By Ranease Brown, 17, Bridgeport CT. LiveGirl Intern, LiveGirl since 2015
Self-worth. A difficult term to grasp because it is not taught in schools, nor put into practice as much as it should be. As a young girl, I was taught my worth at home or from certain television shows. As far as entering the real world where there are bullies and everything is a competition, not so much. In middle school, everyone wanted to be the prettiest, the most liked, or the smartest. If you weren’t any of those or didn’t try to be, then your value was considered less than theirs. As much as I hate to say it, this is a reality that still exists in schools and children are not taught their value and the beauty of their differences.
There is beauty in racial diversity, character diversity, geographical diversity, and when we all come together to represent those aspects of our identity we create something beautiful. I was taught in health class about many things pertaining to puberty and the physiological changes of the body. I was never taught about the extreme highs and lows that came with it emotionally. How difficult it is to find any beauty within myself if it didn’t come from someone validating me and my character. I always sought after any form of validation because I didn’t know my worth. All I knew was how to compare myself to others. I thought I knew how to find the prettiest person in the crowd and compare myself to them. I thought I knew who the smartest was and why I was never going to be like them. I was always the funniest or “most liked” person in the class because that is who I made myself out to be. I often put up a facade to make myself seem more interesting and all because I didn’t recognize my own worth.
Now, at seventeen years old, I am unlearning and learning how to love and accept myself. LiveGirl has been a huge part of my growth. I have been with this organization since 2015, when I was only twelve, and I have learned so much about confidence. I have learned how to manifest and use affirmations in my daily life to build myself up. I have found such a bright light of a community to lift up young girls that are, and were, just like me. I am able to plant seeds of confidence, positivity, power, and acceptance within these girls.
There are not enough words of gratitude that I can express to LiveGirl to thank them for saving me. Thank you for believing in me, loving me, and caring for me. I can only hope that as a mentor for these girls I can provide a quarter of as much love and guidance that LiveGirl has blessed me with. I have also been empowered enough through LiveGirl to create my own understanding of beauty.
I define BEAUTY as “Being Enough And Unconditionally Trusting Yourself”. What that means is, trusting your body and mind to rely on it whenever you don’t feel strong. Treat yourself with care. Emotionally, spiritually, and physically support yourself. At the end of the day, regardless of who you are surrounded by or working with, you have yourself. When you go to sleep, wake up, and work long hours, you need to trust yourself. You are enough and you always have been.
The question is, when will you accept that?
Once you accept that, how will you instill that in someone else? There is strength in unity and power in sisterhood. Let’s continue to support, learn, unlearn, and grow together.
