The Power of Words
By Emily, age 20, Newfoundland
Sweet Designs Featured Writer
"I wish I could tie you up in my shoes, make you feel unpretty too ..."
- TLC, Unpretty
My parents used to tell me that "Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you." As I grew up, I learned differently.
I was always different when I was a kid. I hung out with boys and was into sports, and I didn't really take care of myself the way that other little girls did. You see, when I was 10 years old, my mom moved out and gave custody of my brother and me to my dad because she had no idea how to support herself. And even though I saw her a few times a week, I didn't really get to learn things that "normal" girls did.
So when I was a kid, other little girls used to tell me that I was ugly and fat, just because I wasn't teeny weenie like them. So I grew up thinking that I had nothing going for me because I hung out with boys and I was unpretty and I was fat.
I believed this for a long time, and even though my mom used to tell me how pretty I was and not to listen to those kids, it was really difficult because I was constantly surrounded by the negative energy. To this day, I have a really hard time taking compliments from other people, and I still find myself looking into the mirror and cringing sometimes.
Before it's too late, you should learn that not everybody is made to be the same shape or the same amount of pretty. If we were meant to be perfect, we'd all be the same. We might not all be drop-dead gorgeous, but we all have something beautiful about us. We should each discover what that is before it affects us for life.
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