By Charmaine Dube – Grade 10
A few days ago I sat at the back of the classroom looking at my classmates and I noticed that as everyone was running around and doing sweet nothing, one girl was sitting alone doing nothing.
Staring at her I got the sense that something was bothering her and she lacked confidence. One of the challenges we face as teenage girls is loneliness and feeling ugly. Most girls are discouraged by their so called ‘friends’. Instead of her ‘friends’ giving strength and encouraging her, they destroy the little confidence she has.
Looking at her I noticed that her only friends were her Mathematics book and calculator. She looked upset because people were always undermining her. As teenage girls, we smile and laugh our sorrows away, with the hope that no one will notice that we are feeling down. When we are told that we are fat by our peers we starve ourselves hoping to lose weight.
My Message to Teenage Girls: “Have faith, believe and tell yourself that you are beautifully made, that is a great start, which is what I do!
