Restoring Self-Assurance
“Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies”. Appearance is seen as an important piece of who we are. Confidence issues plague many people in today's society and cause them to resort to drastic measures to change how they feel about themselves. Instead of worrying about important topics like education or family, one’s mind is consumed with insecurities and judgement about his or her image. Thankfully, people are working to educate our youth about differences in image and personality and learning to celebrate them.
In an article on bbc.com, Kelsey Hibberd shares her personal story about feeling pressured as a young girl to look and act a certain way. Throughout middle and high school, Hibberd says that she “became increasingly conscious of even tiny things” regarding her appearance. She felt that she needed to change her appearance for others to accept her and not be judged unfavorably for her looks. Hibberd indicates that she began feeling uncomfortable with herself in year seven when classmates began to “make me think I was ugly and not special”. Tired of the bullying, she decided to starve herself and change her hair color to impress others and to feel like she fit in. Throughout her teenage years, Hibberd recounts her bullying as “absolutely awful” and changed her appearance to have others stop hating her. She overcame the harsh comments from bullying and started a program called LOUD Education, an organization that helps young people like Kelsey deal with confidence issues.
LOUD Education is a charity formed by Kelsey Hibberd that aims to stop hate and hate crimes in our society, and is located in Essex, England. This organization’s mission is to help eliminate discrimination towards appearance, sexuality, and gender-based hate. LOUD Education holds presentations, workshops, and more to teach young people about discrimination and “educating the ignorant”. By holding these gatherings, LOUD aims to spread the message about loving yourself and making sure everyone knows that differences help build our society. The main goal of LOUD Education is to help boost the confidence of the young people in our judgemental society.
In conclusion, confidence and body image play a major role in today’s youth and have a negative impact on our society. Pressures are forced upon young people to have a certain appearance, destroying their self esteem. Kelsey Hibberd and LOUD Education are aiming to establish a sense of safety and conviction about oneself. Together, we need to end these pressures and help to reassure everyone of him or herself.
Works Cited
Bbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
"LOUD Education." LOUD Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
"Statistics on Body Image, Self Esteem & Parental Influence Heart of Leadership." Heart of Leadership. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.