The truth of who we are is not easily forgotten, just easily ignored. People can live life ignoring that truth, but they end up living lies. Even so, the truth always manages to come out. Instead of trying to erase it, we need to embrace it. Accepting other truths can be easy, but accepting the truth about oneself is difficult because it means accepting the whole reality, the good and the bad about oneself. Because the journey to be oneself involves confronting what is bad in us, it is the riskiest of all journeys.
The journey to find truth in oneself is the most difficult of paths because society does not encourage accepting reality for what it is. Instead, in pop culture a perfect version of a person is created and idealized through celebrities’ wealth and extravagant idealized appearance. To youth, these larger-than-life images push them to become more like these fancy figures in our media, and they have yet to understand the consequences of fame. Girls try to push themselves to achieve what is considered an ideal figure, leading to anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. In our culture it is not about accepting the reality, but changing it, which is potentially dangerous. People in America are spending in $100,000 annually on plastic surgery to achieve that idealistic vision of what is beauty. In attempting to achieve perfection many people harm themselves. For example last year Ms. Argentina died from plastic surgery because she wanted to look more toned. In attempting to achieve perfection many women have dealt with the severe consequences that have jeopardized their health and safety. This is the sad reality of what society pressures women to be. Pop culture has taught women to not accept themselves, but to change themselves to attain a so-called beautiful image. Neglecting the truth or masking it has only lead many women to suffer the consequences, forcing them to accept their imperfections.

This rite of passage, the journey to oneself, is a battle not just against what pop culture says, but also against other individuals in society. As members of society, people naturally care about the judgment of others; we see it in sayings like “First impression does count.” I personally have felt the fear of other people’s judgment, which was evoked by the fact that other peoples’ opinion on me meant something. Throughout middle school and the beginning of high school, my peers continuously bullied me. I was an easy target to anyone because I felt insecure about myself. I did not wear the cool clothes that other people wore. I did not get along with any of my friends from elementary school. I also used to participate in class, which was socially unacceptable in my middle school. I did not feel too good about myself, but I really enjoyed everything I learned during class time. I actively participated, which meant I was also exposing myself to the judgment of peers. My peers constantly criticized me for what I said or did. There was a group of boys in my literature class who used to listen to my conversations quietly and then laugh about everything I said to the tables right next to me. I lived in fear of these people for so many years, but I persisted on being the same me. Eventually I did change myself because I could not bear to get picked on anymore. I changed the talkative, vivacious, and odd me into a more shy and quiet person so I would not get bullied. I let a part of me change so I could blend in, and not get bullied. Even today, I am too scared to open up to people because I am afraid of their judgment. Being true to yourself on a regular basis is still a struggle for me, to the extent that I have become reserved so no one can judge me. After being ridiculed for years, I am self-conscious. I know that there is nothing wrong with being me, and that I should not care about what my peers say. However, it is still a fear I am trying to get over. This is a battle within myself that I need to resolve because I am hiding part of my truths from my peers. I need to learn to be myself and not to let anyone get in the way of it. Being true to yourself means not letting other people’s judgment disturb your basic sense of who you are.
I still have troubles becoming one with myself, and I know that there will be plenty of obstacles ahead as I further my education in college. One of biggest obstacles I will encounter is peer pressure to conform to a group of people, which I hope to overcome. However, my biggest problem is not letting other people see me for who I am. All my problems start of with who I am, and what I accept or reject about me.