Image seems to be extremely important in society. It always has been. We are so infatuated with striving to attain a particular image to fit in or be accepted that we sometimes forget what is truly important in life.

I’ve always been a pretty confident person. I definitely have flaws, and know what they are, but I’ve never let that affect me dramatically or prevent me from going for what I want in life. The truth is, I’m happy with who I am and try not to care what other people think about me. I know what I bring to the table, and would much rather focus on achieving my purpose than on someone else’s opinion.

It’s interesting to see people’s reactions about openly being happy with who they are. It’s like we have created this stigma where it’s not OK to love yourself publicly because let’s face it, everyone has flaws. We are encouraged to be confident but are shamed and deemed self-obsessed when we post a “selfie.” We are pressured to be afraid to show that we embrace who we are because we don’t want to seem conceited or cocky.

I’ve noticed a lot of my friends, all beautiful, putting themselves down time after time because they feel that they don’t compare to others.

With pop culture constantly airbrushing and altering appearances, it is hard to have a realistic idea of true beauty.

Comedian and actress Amy Schumer has done a great job of promoting self- confidence and self-worth. Schumer hosted Saturday Night Live on Oct. 10, and the comedian made a valid point about an encounter she had with actress Devin Fabry, who played the younger version of her in the film “Trainwreck.”

During her opening monologue Schumer said, “We have to be a role model for these little girls. Cause who do they have? All they have literally is the Kardashians, and she [Devin Fabry] doesn’t have a Malala poster in her room, trust me. Is that a great message for little girls? A whole family of women who take the faces they were born with as a light suggestion?”

It’s OK to want to wear makeup and dress up to feel your best, but Schumer is right. What example are we setting for young girls when we tell them that beauty can only be attained through a tanning bed or lip injections?

Instead of basing self-worth on whether a person is skinny, tall, fat or short, we should base it on who they are as a human being and what value they bring to this earth through their contributions to society.

It’s OK and completely normal to not feel comfortable in your own skin sometimes. Everyone has something they are insecure about. The honest truth is that most of the time we are our own worst critics. We analyze things about ourselves that others might not even notice.

I personally am insecure about putting my hair up in a ponytail. I feel like it makes my face look rounder and I would much rather leave it down. Every time I do put my hair up however, I get compliments and am told to keep it up more often as it looks good on me.

What is important to realize is that every part of our being is what makes us who we are. We are designed with so much detail, and that alone is beautiful. We need to take the insecurities we have and embrace them as what makes us, us.

Next time you aren’t feeling fully confident, don’t be afraid to look in the mirror and tell yourself how beautiful you are.

Until next time, stay fabulous!

Natalie Kalamdaryan
Opinion Editor
Published October 14th, 2015