Stay True to You

It happens to everyone, every year. You join a new community- whether it be a club, class, job, or any sort of unfamiliar environment and immediately you feel a desire to fit in. It is simple human nature to want to be accepted by your peers. It gives a person a feeling of comfort and a sense of worth. But where exactly is the fine line between fitting in and losing yourself?

In the movie Mean Girls, when Cady joins “the plastics” she begins to present herself differently. Not only in the way that she dresses, but how she behaves, sets her priorities, and treats her body. We all know how the movie ends, she finally realizes the monster that she has become and it ends happily with her finding herself again.

As human beings, we are all far from perfect and it is very easy to get caught up in a similar situation to Cady. The catch is that it may not be so easy to find yourself again, therefore it is important to recognize when you are not being true to yourself. To do this simply ask, are you doing what makes you truly happy? Does the environment that you surround yourself with provide you with true bliss and fulfillment?

From my own experiences, there have been times when I constantly compare myself to those I am surrounded by. I feel that my lifestyle should match theirs, and if it does not there is something wrong with me therefore I should conform. And sometimes I do conform; but it is in these moments, I realize that I am in my weakest and lowest state of mind.

So what does all of this have to do with fashion or Eating Disorder Awareness Week? A very simple and affective way to change your image is through your choice of clothing, which is why it is one of the easiest ways to loose a true sight of yourself. Simply because everyone else is wearing an item, is not a good enough reason for you to also wear a particular piece of clothing or trend.

And somewhat similar to fashion, developing an eating disorder is a method that seems to be simple and affective in transforming your body, therefore your imagine. The greatest difference with this approach is that it is certain that you will lose sight of yourself and it is extremely difficult to recover from. Comparable to fashion, just because it seems that everyone else is very skinny or obsessing over their bodies, is not a valid excuse for you to also.

One’s sense of fashion and one’s sense of body image provide ample opportunities to create unbalance and a lost sense of direction. But with a clear cut path, along with strength and positive reinforcement, they can provide a rich amount of opportunities to build an unstoppable and confident force within oneself.