Pressure is on to be who you can’t afford to be

Don’t follow the crowd or beat yourself up for failing to make someone else feel satisfied

Five million bodies live in poverty. Including me. Including those who feel obligated to wear the newest shoes or the newest style. Including those who feel the need to get the newest iPhone or the newest designer sunglasses. They say you have to keep up with the trends or else you won’t be considered “cool.” They say you need to be skinny, but not too skinny or else you’ll be considered a freak.

Social media is like a dinner party. You go to exchange thoughts and make new connections with friends. There’s certain rules and expectations to follow. Everyone is different yet the same. But what if you didn’t get invited to the dinner party? Well, simple, you miss out on the newest events and the lifestyle others live by. Wait, does that mean I need to go in order to be “cool”?

If the 21 percent of kids and I could keep up with social media, we would. But we can’t. We can’t because we don’t even have enough coins to stay in our apartment. I’m sorry that I can’t buy the white and black Adidas that they say you need to have. I’m sorry that wearing the same pair of pants every day identifies who I am as a person. I’ve heard many things. I’ve heard it all.

“Does she even own a brush? “

“Is that the only shirt she owns?” “Does she even eat?”

“Why does she smell? Does she know what a shower is?”

This monster that’s in our heads, phones, environment is ruining lives. I’m sorry that I don’t meet your requirements on what a girl should look like. I’m sorry that I don’t know what the lyrics are for the newest hit songs. I’m sorry that I look so skinny, but that’s because I can only afford a loaf of bread and one piece of fish to feed a family of four every week.

But most of all, I’m sorry that this social monster doesn’t control me. The monster isn’t on my phone because

I don’t have a phone! I’m sorry that I actually have a family who loves me and cares about what’s on the inside, not on the outside. I’m sorry that I’m not beating myself up for not looking like those models you see on Instagram. I’m sorry I know how to live in the moment instead of posting pictures or tweets about my day. I’m sorry that I should’ve spoken up for those 4,500 kids who kill themselves each year because of this, sooner.

I’m working my hardest. I know I smell, but that’s only because my parents couldn’t afford the water bill. I know I wear the same clothes every week, but I would rather buy food that can keep me alive than buy that coat everyone wears. I know my hair is crazy, but it’s not my No. 1 priority because I have bigger issues to deal with.

Society tells us that we need to meet these high expectations. To be someone who we can’t afford to be.

A message to me and you: Don’t follow the crowd. Don’t beat yourself up for not making someone else feel satisfied. It’s their problem.